


The Clause

by CougsenStuckyLover98



Category: Santa Clause (Movies), santa clause - Fandom
Genre: Bernard the Arch Elf - Freeform, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Special, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, I just love these movies so much so I started writing this., Inspired By The Santa Clause (Movies), Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28686795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CougsenStuckyLover98/pseuds/CougsenStuckyLover98
Summary: Seraphina Calvin had stopped believing in Santa a long time ago.So when he falls off of her dad's roof on Christmas Eve, she's not really sure what to think.Join her, Charlie, and their father as they embark on a magical journey and rediscover the meaning of Christmas.
Relationships: Bernard the Arch Elf/Original Female Character





	1. Going to Dad’s

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story based off of The Santa Clause movies. 
> 
> There will be lines and references to the movies but the rest of the story is mine:) and I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> New chapter every Sunday :) 
> 
> I hope 2021 is treating you all well so far!

_**"Sit now, as I tell you a story full of magic, love, and the power of believing.** _

_**This story is all true... It is the story of how my father became Santa Claus, and how we re-discovered the true meaning of family and Christmas."** _

__*****  
*  
* 

"Mom, do I really have to go?" I asked as she carried Charlie's over night bag out to the car.

"Yes, Sera, you do. It's only for one night I'm sure you'll survive. Now go finish packing." she said. I rolled my eyes as I huffed and walked back to my room. I packed a pair of pajamas, an outfit for tomorrow, and my IPod before walking out and putting my bag in the car, smiling at Charlie as he got buckled in. "Hey kiddo, you ready to go?" I asked him. He shrugged glumly as I slid into the car next to him. "I'm sure dad has a fun weekend planned for us. You'll see." I said, trying to cheer him up. I heard him sigh as he turned to the window.

The drive was long and silent, and I was hoping that dad would liven up the evening, only to be disappointed when I saw he wasn't even home yet.

Mom called him and asked where he was. "We're here, Scott. Where are you?" She asked. "Just try to hurry, ok? Goodbye." She hung up the phone and looked over at Neil, my stepfather. "Traffic jam. He'll be here soon." She said. Neil sighed, "We have to be at my parent's house in fifteen minutes." He said. "I know. We'll get there." She assured him.

It was only a few minutes later that dad flew into the driveway. Charlie and I got out of the car as he got out of his and we walked onto the porch out of the wet snow. "Hey kids. Laura." Dad said as he unlocked the door. Charlie and I stepped inside, while dad and mom stood outside to argue where Charlie and I couldn't hear them. "Doesn't look very live here." Charlie said. I looked around and saw that there were no decorations, no foods, and only a plain tree sitting near the corner. Under it were a few presents.

When mom and dad stepped into the living room, Charlie and I went to mom and gave her hugs. "Do we really have to stay?" Charlie asked her. I caught dad look at Charlie like his heart was breaking. "C'mon, Charlie. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun. We'll see you tomorrow, mom." I said as I kissed her cheek. "See you tomorrow. You guys be good!" She called as she walked out. When she left, Charlie and I turned to Dad, who was flipping through a cookbook. "I uh, I left the tree for you guys to decorate. You know, like you used to." He said. "Thanks." I replied. "Well are you two stayin' or what? Take your coats off, set your bags down." He said. "What's for dinner?" Charlie asked. "I got a turkey to cook and some things for dessert." Dad replied, walking into the kitchen.

Charlie and I shared a glance, and I once again had to remind myself that it was only for one night. We could make it through this. What could go wrong?

***

Apparently, a lot could go wrong.

The desserts had melted, the milk was sour, and the turkey was currently on fire. Dad was spraying a fire extinguisher at it, and finally got most of the flames to go down.

When everything was finally calm again, Charlie looked at dad, "Those flames were really big, Dad." He said. Dad nodded, "Well, turkey's are funny like that." He replied. He took the turkey out of the oven and placed the blackened remains in the sink. "Alright, you guys get your coats and shoes on. We'll go somewhere and get some dinner." He said. "Like where?" I asked. "I don't know. We'll drive until we find somewhere." He replied, walking out to start the car. I helped Charlie find his coat and shoes, then we walked out and got in the car.

I sighed as a few minutes later, we passed another closed restaurant.

"Dad why don't we just call it a night?" I asked. "Because. It's my year to spend Christmas with you guys and I plan to have the dinner that comes with it. Besides, I know where we can go." He said with a smile. It was then that we pulled into his favorite restaurant. "Denny's?" I asked. "C'mon, you guys love Denny's." He replied, "Let's get some good food then we'll go home and you guys can decorate the tree." He said.

Charlie and I got out of the car and followed dad inside, where all of us had a pancake dinner, since they were out of about everything else.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Dad asked. "Just finishing highschool mostly." I replied. "I'm eight, I don't do much." Charlie said, slumped down in his chair. It grew silent as we finished our dinner. I was thanking the heavens when we finally stood and left.

Halfway home, Charlie fell asleep in the car, so I looked at dad. "We need to do something special for him." I said. "Special? What do you mean?" He asked. "I mean, get him some great gifts, take him out to do something he likes, I don't know. Show him a good time." I said. "You're not having a good time?" Dad asked. "I didn't say that. I'm having a great time, it's just... Charlie has been having kind of a rough time. Kids at school have been teasing him about believing in Santa Claus at his age and Neil isn't helping either." I said. "Has Neil ever helped?" He asked. "He told Charlie that Santa was a figment of his imagination. Started coming up with all of these reasons why he couldn't possibly exist and do what he does." I said. "What do you care if Charlie believes in Santa? You don't believe either." He said. "I care because I like to see Charlie happy. He's my little brother." I said. "It's good that you look out for him like this." He said. I shrugged, "It's what big sisters are supposed to do." I said.

He didn't respond.

The rest of the ride home was silent, only the occasional beeping road rager disturbed us, and when we finally got there, I woke up Charlie so he could get ready for bed. "You'll see, Charlie. Santa is real. He'll be here before you know it and you'll have a ton of new presents under that tree." I assured him. He nodded as he climbed into bed and covered up. "Can we read the story?" Charlie asked. "What story?" Dad asked in return. I pulled the book from Charlie's bag and showed dad what his son was talking about. "I've read this to Charlie every night since December first. It's your turn tonight." I said, handing him the thin paperback. He sighed, "Fine. You gonna pull up a chair too?" He asked. I moved to sit next to Charlie on his bed, "Alright. Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." Dad read the book as Charlie laid there and listened. Dad got to the last page as Charlie fell asleep, so he mumbled the last few words and closed the book, slowly moving so as not to disturb Charlie.

We were both almost out the door, when Charlie's voice piped back up. "What's a rose succhack ladder?" He asked. "What?" Dad asked. "You know, "up on the roof, there's a rose succhack ladder."" Charlie said. I chuckled, "It's not a ladder, buddy, it's "arose such a clatter." I explained. "What does that mean?" He asked. I sat on the edge of his bed, "Well, arose means that there came a big noise. So it's saying that there was a loud noise on the roof. Which means Santa is there, which means you need to be asleep if you want presents!" I said, ruffling his hair. He pushed my hands away with a tired laugh and covered back up. "Goodnight Charlie." Dad and I said, and walked out of his room. "You've got a lot of patience for questions." Dad said as we walked towards my room. I nodded, "As long as it keeps him believing for a little while longer, I'll answer anything he wants," I said. I kissed his cheek, "I'm gonna go to bed now." I said. He nodded, "Alright. I'll see you in the morning." He said. "See you." I said, walking to my room.

I changed into an over large t-shirt and some shorts before crawling into bed, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.


	2. A Rose Succhak Ladder

It didn't feel like much longer after I'd fallen asleep, that I was being woken up by something. "Dad! Wake up please!" Charlie was saying. I got out of bed and walked out to see Dad's bedroom door open. Charlie was trying to wake him up. "Charlie, what are you doing?" I asked. He ignored me and continued to shake and nudge dad. "Charlie, what?" Dad grumbled tiredly. "Dad I heard something!" Charlie exclaimed. "It was just a dream. Go back to sleep." Dad said. "But it wasn't! Please dad go check!" Charlie begged. Dad groaned and sat up, "Charlie, it was nothing. Now go back to-"

_**THUMP** _

He was interrupted by a sound on the roof, and looked up. "Told you!" Charlie exclaimed.

**_THUMP. THUMP. THUMP._ **

"There's someone on the roof." Dad said. I walked over and sat Charlie on the bed, "You two sit here, I'm gonna go check it out. Sera, get the phone and if I yell, call 9-1-1." He said. "Be careful!" I warned.

He jogged out as we heard more noise, and before I could stop my brother, he was running after dad. "Charlie! Charlie get back here!" I exclaimed quietly as I ran after him. He made it outside, and I caught up to him just as dad was yelling at him to stay on the porch.

"You killed Santa!" Charlie was exclaiming. I walked out into the snow to see a red suit laying on the ground and gasped. "What in the world?" I asked. "I don't know." Dad replied. "The Rose Succhak Ladder." Charlie whispered. I turned to ask him what he meant, and ran right into something hard and cold. "Where did that come from!?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. "Are you okay?" Dad asked. I nodded, "I'm fine. What is this?" I asked, examining the ladder. "Up on the roof there's a Rose Succhak Ladder!" Charlie exclaimed, and pointed out a label on the ladder. "The Rose Succhak Ladder Company." I read softly. Charlie put one foot on the ladder and started climbing. "Charlie! Charlie! Get down from there!" Dad told him. "Woah! Guys! You've gotta see this!" He yelled to us. I grabbed the ladder, and started climbing. Up on the roof, I stopped. There was a sleigh, attached to it were eight reindeer, each one with a name tag.

"This... this isn't real! There's no way this is reality!" I said as dad finished climbing on to the roof. "This has to be a prank." Dad said, clearly not finding this as amusing as Charlie, who was climbing into the sleigh. "Dad, what do we do?" I asked. "I don't know! The card just said to put on the suit and the reindeer would know!" He said. "The reindeer? Really? What are we supposed to do with Rudolph here?" I asked. The lead reindeer grunted, "Oh, sorry, Comet." I said. He flicked his ear, and I realized that I had just had a conversation with a reindeer. "Guys, come on get in!" Charlie said, clearly ready for something to happen. "Charlie, no, come on." Dad said, trying to get his son out of the sleigh. "But dad-" "No, Charlie! This is stupid!" Dad said. "How come everything I wanna do is stupid?" Charlie asked him. "Kiddo, that's not what he's saying." I said, jumping to Dad's defense. Charlie stared at us, tears in his little green eyes, until finally, Dad agreed. He grumbled and griped as he climbed into the sleigh and looked at me, "Well come on." He said. "Why me?" I asked. "Because if I have to go through this, then so do you, now come on." Dad said. I groaned as I climbed into the sleigh, my legs were like ice, and my socks were wet from the snow, but I had no time to bring up the fact that I was possibly going to suffer from hypothermia as the sleigh suddenly took off and flew us to a new location. 

The roof of another house. "What am I supposed to do now?" Dad asked. "Deliver the toys!" Charlie exclaimed. "Wait, you want me, to break into these people's house, and set out toys, _in my underwear?"_ Dad asked. "No," Charlie replied, "Put the suit on." He said. Dad sighed, "Oh, put the suit on! Cause that makes sense!" He said as he removed his boots. "Ugh, don't even know where this thing has been!" Dad griped as he pulled on a large pair of pants and suspenders.

He pulled on the jacket, giving me his original to cover up with. "I can't believe I'm doing this." Dad said. "How am I even supposed to go down the chimney?" He asked. The reindeer, Comet, nodded towards the back of the sleigh. Dad reached back and picked up a large, velvet, maroon sack that was filled with toys. "What am I supposed to- Woah!" Dad yelled as the sack started to lift him. "I'm not liking this! Put me down!" He tried ordering it. It didn't listen, instead, it flew him over to the chimney, and started to slowly descend. Charlie and I watched as dad moved down the chimney, still griping, and we looked at each other. "Charlie... please tell me we're dreaming." I said. He laughed and shook his head, "I don't think we are." He replied. I groaned as I laid in the seat, trying to wrap my head around this.

Santa isn't real! The sleigh, the North Pole, the sack of gifts... none of that was supposed to exist! It was all a myth!

"Hey Sera, look!" Charlie said, interrupting my thoughts. I sat up to see the chimney stretching and warping to let the bag pull dad out, that's when I heard the alarms and a dog barking. "Let's get out of here!" Dad yelled, and the sleigh took off.... to the neighbor's house.

Let's just say, it was a very long night filled with a lot of alarms and barking dogs.

"Alright! That was the last one! Let's go home." Dad told the reindeer. They took off again, but instead of taking us back to our neighborhood, they flew us further and further away, until it felt like it was below 0°.

We landed and saw something rising out of the ground, a red and white striped pole.

"What's happening?" I asked. I didn't get a response to that as we watched someone appear and type something into the pole. Suddenly, the reindeer were unhitched from the sleigh, and we seemed to be moving down, like an elevator, into the ground.

We were lowered into what looked like a stable room. We saw the reindeer each in their own stall as we climbed out of the sleigh. "C'mon, let's try to find someone." Dad said. Charlie decided to run in another direction, and I ran after him, trying to find him, until I ran back into dad. "Is Charlie with you?" I asked. "You didn't find him?" Dad asked. "Obviously not!" I replied. "Alright, we'll find him, come on." Dad said. The two of us quickly walked into what looked like a work shop filled with, what I thought, were kids. Until I noticed their ears. 

These weren't kids, they were elves! "Hey, what is this place?" Dad asked one of them. "The North Pole." He replied. "Who's in charge here?" I asked. "He is." The elf replied, nodding to Dad. "No I'm not. I'm not in charge!" Dad said.

"What seems to be the problem over here?" Asked someone behind us. We turned to see someone who was of normal height, someone who I hoped was human until I saw his ears coming to a point. I sighed. "Are you on a coffee break?" The tall elf asked the shorter one. "We don't drink coffee." They said. "Well then maybe you should get back to work!" The tall elf snapped. "Hey, take it easy on him." I snapped back at him. The elf looked at me, probably wondering why I was here and giving him attitude. "Names." The elf said. "Scott Calvin. This is my daughter, Seraphina." Dad said. "Bernard." The elf replied, walking away. We quickly followed him, "Hey, what's going on here?" Dad asked. "What do you mean?" Bernard asked.

"I mean, why are we here, Beauford?" Dad asked him. "Bernard," the elf corrected. "You're here because you're the new Santa Clause." He said. "No, Beaumont, I'm not!" Dad exclaimed. "It's Bernard!" The elf said heatedly. I chuckled, earning a glare from the snippy elf as he turned to continue walking. "The other Santa disappeared, right?" He asked. "Wait a minute," dad said, pointing his finger at the elf. "That was not my fault! He fell, it was an accident." He said. I jogged a bit to catch up to Bernard and grabbed his shoulder to stop him, "Hold on, how did you know the other guy was gone?" I asked. He rolled his eyes, like I was asking an obviously answered question, "Can I get you a drink?" He asked. "No." I replied. "I'm thirsty!" Charlie's voice piped up suddenly. I knelt down and hugged him, "Charlie! Where have you been?" I asked. "Just exploring. I'm fine." He said. I sighed and kissed his forehead, "Please never run off like that again, okay?" I asked. He nodded.

"Who's this?" Bernard asked, kneeling next to me. "My little brother, Charlie." I replied, confused by the complete flip of the elf's attitude. "Charlie, this is Bernard." I said. "Hi Bernard." Charlie said, sticking his hand out for the elf to shake. He smiled at Charlie, and shook his hand. "Hiya sport." Bernard said. 

Charlie smiled and looked up at dad, "Dad he called me sport, just like you!" He said. "Wonderful." Dad replied flatly. "Hey, I've got something for you." Bernard said, reaching into the messenger bag he had around him. He pulled out a large snowglobe, and handed it over to Charlie. "Careful, that's older than I am." He said as he carefully handed it over. "Go ahead, shake it up." He said. Charlie did as told, his eyes lighting up when the little town inside the globe came to life. "Sera look!" He said, pointing and showing me as a sleigh flew over the tiny neighborhood. I gasped, "That's beautiful." I said, looking up at Bernard. He was smiling now, and I couldn't help but feel a slight liking towards the elf now that he'd made Charlie so happy. "I promise I'll take really good care of it." Charlie said. "Make sure you do." Bernard said with a mock stern-ness in his tone. He sighed as Charlie took the globe to show dad. "Yeah, nice ball." Dad said. I rolled my eyes as he walked back over to us, "Hey, Barnabus-" "Bernard!" The elf snapped. "Bernard, whatever," dad said, "Can we take a direct flight back to reality? Or do we have to make a stop in Denver?" Dad asked. Bernard ignored the comment as he caught the attention of another passing elf, "Larry, take Charlie here to get some food." He said. The elf nodded and Charlie ran after him. "No, Charlie-" I tried, but Bernard interrupted. "He'll be okay. Now, both of you follow me." He said. "Why both of us?" I asked. Bernard sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Because, he still has questions, and you've turned purple. Why would you wear something like that on a sleigh ride to the North Pole?" Bernard asked as he turned to start walking again. "Well I didn't exactly know I would be coming to the North Pole tonight, Mr. Elf." I said. "Don't call me that." He said, "Now follow me and we'll get both of you into some new clothes."

We followed him into another part of the workshop, where we saw boxes upon boxes of present being wrapped in shiny papers and ribbons. "Look, I just want to get home! I am not Santa Claus!" Dad exclaimed. "Did you or did you not read the card?" Bernard asked. "Yeah, I read it!" Dad replied. "Then you're the new Santa!" Bernard said, "By putting on the hat and the suit you agreed to the contract."

"What contract?" I asked. "The card in the Santa suit, you said you read it, right? So, by putting on the suit you fell subject to the Santa Clause." Bernard explained. "The Santa Claus? You mean the guy who fell off my roof?" Dad asked. "No, no, no, not Santa Claus, the _Claus_. Santa Clause, the _Clause_." Bernard said. "What?" Dad and I asked in unison. Bernard stopped and turned towards us again, this time offering a warm cookie he'd picked up from a little delivery elf. "Look, you're a business man, right?" He asked dad, who nodded. "The clause, as in the last line of a contract." Bernard said. 

Dad was still looking very confused. "Do you have the card?" Bernard snapped, making us jump. "Yeah, here." Dad said, handing it to him. Bernard snatched it away from his hand and read the fine print around the edge of the card, "The Santa Clause: By putting on the suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waves any right to previous identities, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus in perpetuity until such time the wearer is unable to do so," dad snatched the card from Bernard, but he continued saying what was on the card, "by either accident or design." Bernard finished, looking rather smug. "What does that mean?" Dad asked. 

"You put on the suit, dad. You're the big guy now." I said. Bernard nodded, "Smart girl." He said, walking off again. "No! No, this is ridiculous. I didn't put on this suit just to-" "Try to understand this!" Bernard yelled, making the other elves gasp and stop to look over.

He sighed and took a deep breath before speaking softer, "Let me explain something to you, okay?" He asked, sounding desperate for my father to understand by this point, "The toys need to be delivered, I'm not going to do it, that's not my job. I'm just an elf. Delivering toys is _Santa's_ job, but Santa fell off a roof. You read the card, you put on the suit, that clearly falls under the Santa Clause so you're Santa, okay?" He asked, sounding very out of breath. 

"Breathe, B." I said. He looked like he wanted to scold me for the nickname, but ignored it, as my father was the more important issue. "So when can I get out of here?" Dad asked. "You leave tomorrow morning. You have eleven months to get your affairs in order then you're due back here at Thanksgiving." Bernard said. "What? No. I'm not coming back at Thanksgiving." Dad said. "I'll ship the list to your house." Bernard replied with clenched teeth. "Dad! Sera! You've gotta see this place!" Charlie exclaimed as he came bounding up to us. "Just a sec, kiddo," dad said, looking back to Bernard.  
"What list?" He asked. "You know... _The list._ " Bernard said. Dad shook his head, making Bernard sigh for the hundredth time that night. "He's making a list..." Bernard sang softly. "Checking it twice!" Charlie sang a lot louder. " _Gonna find out who's naughty or nice!"_ The other elves sang. Bernard shook his head and looked back at dad.  
"You put a 'P' next to the kids who are nice and a 'C' next to the naughty ones." He said. "What is that?" I asked. "P for Present, C for Coal! Right Bernard?" Charlie asked. Bernard smiled at him, "Very good, sport." He said. "How will I know who's good or bad?" Dad asked. "You'll know!" Bernard replied, walking again. Did this guy ever stop?

"Well what if I don't want to do this?" Dad asked. That made Bernard turn back faster than he had all night, and walk straight up to Dad. "Don't even _joke_ about something that serious!" He said, more serious than ever. "Why not?" Dad asked him, "What if I don't buy into this whole Santa Clause thing? What if I choose not to believe in it?" He asked. All of the elves stopped and looked over at us. Bernard's face fell, "Then millions of children all around the world would be disappointed. See, children hold the spirit of Christmas within their hearts. You wouldn't want to be responsible for killing the spirit of Christmas, now would you... Santa?" He asked. 

Dad had no response as Bernard turned away again. "Judy will take you to your room, get out of the suit it needs to be cleaned. Phi, I suggest you sit by a fire for a few hours, and buy some better winter pajamas." He said. "I don't like being hot when I sleep." I replied. "Well, you're not gonna like frost bite very much either." He chuckled as he made his way down a staircase. "Was that an actual laugh?" I called down as he stopped at a machine. He cut his eyes up at me with a smirk before continuing on his way. Dad cleared his throat loudly, and I turned to see him staring at me. "What?" I asked. He shook his head, "Nothing. Come on, let's follow Judy and get some rest." He said. I nodded and we began to follow the little elf woman.

She took us each to a room, and I couldn't help but marvel at the size, or the view I had. "This is amazing!" I said. She giggled, "I'm glad you like it." She said. "Bernard told me you'd need a fire, and he's instructed me to give you this." She said, holding out a tray. I took the mug off of it and saw it was filled with steaming hot cocoa. I blew on it a bit before drinking it. It still burned the roof of my mouth and my tongue, but I welcomed the warmth it spread through my body. "Thank you." I said. "Thank Bernard." She replied with a grin. "Here are some warmer pajamas." She said, handing me a set of deep red, silk, clothes. "Thanks." I said again. She nodded as she left and I locked the door to change. Once I was in the warmer clothes, I sat by the fire to warm my feet, which were painfully numb. "Sera! Isn't this place amazing?" Charlie asked as he ran into my room. I laughed as I caught him in a hug and pulled him into my lap. "It is pretty amazing, huh?" I asked. He nodded, "I wanna stay forever!" He said. I laughed and kissed his cheek. "You go get ready for bed, kiddo. We can talk about forever later." I said. He nodded and hugged me once more as we said our good nights and he left. I finished my cocoa and tried to lay down, but I definitely wasn't tired anymore.

I stood from the bed and walked out onto the balcony to look down at the little houses that lined the street. As I was laughing about the polar bear directing traffic, my door opened once more, and in walked Mr. Snippy. "I trust you're much warmer?" Bernard asked. I nodded, "I am, thank you." I said, turning back to the polar bear. "Pretty cool, don't you think?" He asked as he leaned next to me. I shrugged. "I know this is all a dream." I said. He sighed. "You know, you do that a lot. Blow your breath." I said. "Well I can't exactly help it at this point." He replied. "Why don't you believe in Santa?" He asked. I looked at him, "How did you know I don't?" I asked. "I'm an elf, it's my job to know these things." He said. I tapped my fingers on the railing as I thought about whether or not to tell him. "I won't tell anyone, if you don't want me to." He said. I nodded, "I used to absolutely love Christmas," I started, "I'd decorate my bedroom for months in advance, listen to the music in the middle of Summer," Bernard chuckled at this, and I joined.

"So what happened?" He asked. "When I was little, my mom and dad decided to get a divorce. I wrote a letter to Santa, asking him to do whatever it took to make them happy again. To make them stay together. I thought it had worked, they weren't fighting anymore, they were laughing and having a good time, then the day before Christmas Eve came. They signed the papers and everything was over. I lost all of my faith in Santa and his magic." I said. I looked at Bernard and saw his eyes looked teary. He quickly blinked them clear when he caught me looking. "I'm sorry that happened." He said. I shrugged, "It wasn't your fault." I said. Then realized something, "Why am I telling you all of this? I just met you." I said.  
Bernard chuckled, "I'm an elf, people tend to put a lot of trust in us." He replied. I nodded and walked back inside. "I guess that's true. So are there other elves like you?" I asked. "What do you mean like me?" He asked. "Tall and snappy," I said, "I thought elves were supposed to be short and jolly." 

He scoffed, "I'm the tallest elf there is, and I am not snappy." He said. I laughed, "Oh please, you're so snappy. It fits you though." I said with a smile. He rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Well thank you." He said. "I guess I'll let you get your rest." He said as he walked towards the door. "Goodnight, B." I said. "Goodnight, Phi." He replied, turning the light out. He closed the door behind him as he left.

I fluffed my pillow and laid back in the bed, hoping much less now that this had all been just a strange dream.


	3. It Was A Dream!

"Sera! Sera! Wake up!" Charlie was jumping on me and on my bed excitedly. I opened my eyes and looked at him, "What is it, Charlie?" I asked. "You gotta come see this!" he said, racing out of my room. "Charlie, the last time you told me to come see something we ended up in the North..." I trailed off as I looked around, "Pole."

We were back home. I knew it had been a dream!

But, as I stood from my bed, I looked down and saw I was wearing the red pajamas that Judy had given me last night. I shook my head, "This can not be happening." I said. Though as hard as I tried convincing myself of that, I couldn't make myself believe it.

"Sera!" I heard Dad yell. I pulled some socks on and walked down the stairs to see what they needed. "Merry Christmas guys." I said upon entering the room. "Merry Christmas!" Charlie cheered, tearing into another present. I smiled and sat down near him, "Where did all of this come from?" I asked Dad. "The North Pole, of course." Charlie answered instead, "You have stuff too!" he said, getting up and handing me a big box. It was wrapped in shiny red paper, with a green ribbon tied around it and a tag. "Bernard sent it." Charlie said. I looked up at him, "Why is Bernard sending me gifts?" I asked. Charlie shrugged, "He sent me one too." he said, holding up a few new toys. I picked up the tag and read it, "For next time, -B." It read. I opened the box and saw multiple pairs of pajamas in the box. There were also gloves, a hat, and some fuzzy socks. "Now he's just being stupid." I said. "What did he send?" Dad asked. "Pajamas." I replied, "For the _next time_ we're in the Pole."

Dad only grunted as he rubbed his face with his hands, then we heard the door opening. "Charlie! Sera!" Mom called as she walked inside. Charlie and I got up and ran to her, both of us hugging her tightly. "Merry Christmas, my babies!" she said cheerfully. "Merry Christmas, mom." I replied, kissing her cheek. "You two get your stuff and go wait in the car, I'll be out in a minute." she said. We nodded and grabbed our bags and presents, "Bye Dad! Thanks for the great night at the North Pole!" Charlie said as we walked out. "What is he talking about?" mom asked. "Nothing. I had a strange dream, I must have told him about it." Dad replied.

Mom looked unconvinced as the three of us walked out. "Charlie, what did you guys do last night?" Mom asked him as he climbed into the car. "We went to the North Pole. Dad is the new Santa!" Charlie said. I saw the worried looks on Mom and Neil's faces, and got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "What do you mean, Charlie?" Neil asked. "The old Santa fell off of the roof last night. So dad put on the red coat and we all went on a ride delivering presents, then we went to the North Pole and met the elves!" Charlie explained. 

"It was just a dream, Charlie." I said, looking at him and hoping he'd catch my hint. "No it wasn't! Bernard sent you gifts to prove it!" he said. "Who is Bernard?" Mom asked. I shook my head, "He's no one." I replied. "He's the head elf at the Pole." Charlie piped up. Mom sighed and glared at Dad. "Sera, Charlie, get in the car. We'll talk about this when we get home." she said. I gave dad one last hug before getting in the car and buckling my seat belt.

The ride home was tense and silent, and I was glad to finally be out of the car. "Sera, I need to talk to you." Mom said. "About what? The dream? Mom, that's all it was." I said. "It doesn't seem that way to Charlie." Neil said. "Why is that so bad?" I asked them. "So he had a great dream, so he believes in Santa, what is the problem with that?" I asked.

"Charlie is taking this to a further level than just believing in a dream. He actually believes the three of you went to the North Pole and delivered toys." Neil said. "You know what, I'm glad that Charlie thinks he actually went. Maybe that memory will keep you two from crushing his Christmas spirit." I said as I walked off to my room. "Seraphina Calvin!" Mom called. Neil stopped her.

I walked into Charlie's room to see him playing with his snow globe. "Hey kiddo. Whatcha up to?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders. "Are you mad at me?" I asked. He looked up at me, "Why didn't you tell mom about the North Pole?" he asked. I walked over and sat on the edge of his bed, "Because they don't believe in Santa, kiddo. They think it's all a story." I said.

"But we can show them! We can take them there!" he said. I shook my head, "I think that's against the rules, Char." I replied. He pouted. I pulled him close and kissed the top of his head, "Hey, it'll be okay. You know why?" I asked him. He shook his head, "Because you and I know that the North Pole is real. We know that Bernard and Larry and all of the elves exist. That's all that matters." I said.

The next day at school, I thought everything was so far so good, until a few people came up to me. "So, what was the North Pole like?" one of them asked. "What?" I asked in return. "Well, according to Charlie, your daddy is the new Santa." another of them said. I rolled my eyes, "It was a dream, now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to get to." I said, shoving past them as they laughed.

I was glad to finally end the school day and get home, away from everyone who had heard the rumor. "Your dad is coming soon, be ready to go." mom said. "Why is Dad coming?" I asked. "He just wants to see you and Charlie about some things." she said. "Mom, what happened in the meeting?" I asked. Mom, Neil, and Dad had to have a meeting with the school counselor after Charlie's story today in show and tell. 

Mom sighed, "The meeting was fine. Your dad is just going to have a talk with Charlie about this whole Santa thing. I wanted you to be there to, I don't know, try to help him." she said. I nodded, "Okay." I said. She nodded and hugged me, "Thank you, Sera. I know you care about your brother, but he has to know that some things are just pretend." she said. I nodded. "I understand." I said, letting go. "I'll go and get ready." I said.

I walked into my room and fell onto my bed. I wanted to support Charlie, but what if everything really was a dream? What if nothing we had done on Christmas Eve night had actually happened?

How does that explain the snow globe? asked a voice inside my head. I didn't have an answer for it. What about the pajamas from Bernard? it asked. "Ugh, shut up!" I told it. I sighed as I pushed myself off of my bed and changed my clothes to get ready for Dad's visit.

Charlie was excitedly waiting at the door when Dad knocked a few minutes later. "See you later, mom!" he yelled as he ran out to Dad's car. I hugged her before walking out to join Charlie.

Dad took us to an aquarium, and I couldn't help but think of the Pole when we saw the polar bears swimming around in their tank. "They're just like the ones we saw the other night, Dad." Charlie said, looking in awe of the large animals. 

"Charlie, I told you, we did not go to the North Pole." Dad said. "Yes we did. You're in denial." Charlie said. "Denial? Charlie you don't even know what that means." I replied. "Well he is! I know what happened!" Charlie argued. "How? You have no proof." Dad said. "Listen, why can't we all just agree that it was a dream and move on?" I asked. "Because it wasn't a dream and you know it!" Charlie said, pulling his snow globe out of his jacket. "You saw all of the stuff happening in here! I showed you when Bernard gave it to me!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Charlie, this is just a toy. I used to make a ton of them but no one ever bought them, so we stopped." Dad said. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." Dad said. "I know who you are, Dad. You will too." Charlie assured. "Charlie, you're wrong." Dad replied.

It was the next day, that something strange happened, and it only confirmed even further that something very Santa like was definitely happening to my dad besides the obvious weight gain and facial hair growth.

"Guys," Neil said, "It's just not logical. How can one man, in one night, visit every house on the planet?" he asked. He had sat Charlie and I down for a chat about this while Mom cooked lunch.

"Well not everyone celebrates Christmas." I said. Charlie nodded, "Yeah, and I think that there's some kind of time continuum that breaks down once Santa is in his sleigh." he said. I smiled at the amount of thought my brother had put into this.

"Well what about the fireplaces?" Neil asked, "Not everybody has them." he said. "One just kind of appears, and Santa turns into a jello and just kind of shwooop!" Charlie explained, showing Neil how Santa moves down a chimney. "So what about the reindeer? Have you ever seen a reindeer fly?" Neil asked. "Yes." Charlie said. "Well I haven't." Neil said.

"Have you ever seen a million dollars?" I asked him. "No." he replied. "Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Charlie told him. Neil went to reply, when Dad walked into the living room. "Hey dad." I said. "Hey. You two mind coming with me a second?" he asked.  
We stood and pulled our coats on to follow Dad. "Where are we going?" I asked. "Just for a quick walk." Dad replied. "Do you think next year I'll be big enough to drive the sleigh by myself?" Charlie asked. "No." Dad said sternly. "But why? I've been practicing!" Charlie exclaimed. 

"No, that's not what I'm talking about." Dad said, "Both of you sit, we've gotta talk about this." he said. Charlie and I sat on a bench. "Guys, there- there is no..." Dad sighed, I knew what he wanted to say, but as he looked at Charlie's face, he stopped. "No what, dad?" Charlie asked. 

Dad sighed, "No... reason why we have to tell anybody about the North Pole." he said. "Why not?" Charlie asked. "Charlie, listen, there are just some things, big things, like this, that need to remain unsaid." I explained, trying to help out dad. Dad nodded, "Exactly." he said.

"How come?" Charlie asked. "Because of Mom and Neil." I said. "Well, not only because of them. Look, it doesn't matter what anyone says or thinks, alright, just... This is something I need the two of you to do for me, okay?" he asked. Charlie and I nodded. "Ok, Dad." we said. The three of us stood up and continued our walk, and every now and then, Charlie would giggle. "What's so funny?" Dad asked him. "Nothing." he replied with another laugh. I caught him looking behind us, and turned to see for myself. I laughed, and quickly turned back around. Behind us, there had to be at least thirty reindeer following.

Over the next few days, things seemed to go back to normal, aside from Dad's hair turning snow white and his beard growing longer, until one day, mom had finally had enough. Dad and I were sitting on a bench at the park, watching Charlie playing soccer with his team, when a little girl showed up and sat on Dad's lap. "I want a new dollhouse, and a pair of pink ballet slippers." she said.

It wasn't long until there was a whole line of children wanting to tell dad what they wanted for Christmas, which wasn't exactly what we needed mom to see. She and Neil came over to us and Dad got up, "This is not what it looks like, I swear." he said. "Scott, this... this is too much." she said. "Mom! What are you doing here?" Charlie asked as he ran over.

"Come on Charlie, Sera, we're leaving." she said, picking up Charlie. "But mom-" "No buts, Seraphina. Now." she said. I sighed and said bye to dad as we were made to leave the park. "Laura please, let them stay, I'll go." Dad tried reasoning. "Scott, I swear, if you don't clean up your act, I will have no choice but to take serious actions." she said.

The four of us got into the car and they took us home.

I went up to my room and locked the door, only opening it for Charlie. "Sera, why are mom and Neil so angry?" he asked. I sighed, "Because they don't believe in magic, kiddo. They think it's weird, that it's only in books and movies." I said. "Why can't we just show them?" he asked. 

"Because, Char, they won't listen, and it would just get dad in more trouble." I said. He sighed and stood from my bed. "I hate this. I wanna go back to the North Pole!" he exclaimed, stomping out of my room. "Charlie! Charlie!" I called. I heard his door slam and sighed, wondering how this could get any worse.

My question was answered the next day, when Mom and Neil took Charlie and I to a judge. "I can't believe you're doing this." I said as we sat and waited. "It's for your own good," Neil said. "No, it's for yours. Because you are so closed minded that you can't even let a little kid have some Christmas happiness!" I snapped. 

"Now you listen, Sera," "No. I won't listen to anything else you try to drill into my head, Neil. You are not my father!" I snapped. "Seraphina Calvin you sit down right now or you will be grounded until further notice." Mom said. I huffed and sat in a chair across from them, Charlie sat next to me, until it was finally our turn. The judge took Charlie first, and they talked for about half an hour, coming out just as Dad showed up. Charlie and I went to dad and he hugged us, "Don't worry, Dad," Charlie said, "I told the judge everything!"

I looked at Dad as the judge asked to speak with him, and I knew this wouldn't end well.

When Mom, Neil, and Dad walked out of the room, Mom was carrying a folder, and Dad had tears on his face.

"No." I said, running to Dad and throwing my arms around him. "They can't do this, please, Dad don't let them do this." I cried. He wrapped his arms around me, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. There's nothing I can do." he said. I sobbed into his shoulder. "I love you, kiddo." he said. I felt hands tugging on me, and tried to hold on harder. "Sera, come on, let's go." Mom said. Neil's arms wrapped around me and pulled me away from Dad, struggling to keep a hold of me as I squirmed and struggled.

I broke free of his grip and walked quickly ahead of them, wiping my tears off and trying not to focus on Charlie's sobs behind me.

Once we got home, I refused to talk to anyone but Charlie. Even at dinner time, I was fixing a plate to eat up in my room away from Mom and Neil, when the doorbell rang. Neil opened the door, and in walked Dad. Charlie and I ran to hug him. "So you really still think you're Santa?" Neil asked.

"I don't know." Dad replied, letting us go. "What do you mean, you don't know?" Charlie asked. "Of course you are, Dad. How can you say that?" I asked. "Think of all those kids!" Charlie exclaimed. "The only kids I'm thinking about are you and your sister." Dad replied. "Dad, don't worry about us! We're fine. You can't let all those other kids down." I said. "Yeah, Dad. They believe in you!" Charlie said. "Kids, listen," Neil tried. "No, you listen! You think you know who he is, but you don't!" I said. "We know exactly who he is!" Charlie said.

"Guys, he is not Santa!" Neil said sternly. "He is too, Santa! We went to the North Pole together. I saw it! The elves are really old but they're little, like me. Bernard called me Sport, cause he knows everything! Please, Dad. Remember!" Charlie said, tossing dad the snow globe.

Dad caught it and watched as it came alive in his hands. He started to smile at Charlie and I. "You saw it." I said as we both hugged him, "You bet I did." he replied. "Thank you guys." he said, hugging us tightly. He looked at Mom and Neil, "Can I have a minute to say a proper goodbye?" he asked. Mom nodded, against Neil's wishes, and they walked out. "I love you guys so much." Dad said. "We love you too, Dad." I said. "I guess I better get going." he said. 

"We'll get our stuff!" Charlie said, starting up the stairs. "Wait, Charlie, wait. I think it's better if you and Sera stay here with your mom and Neil." he said. "But Dad, we wanna be with you." I said. Dad laughed, "You have no idea how much I love hearing you say that." he said. "So we can go?" Charlie asked.

Dad sighed as he thought it over.

"Man this bird is dry. Haven't you people ever heard of basting?" Bernard asked, suddenly in our dining room. He stood and walked over to us, "Hey Bernard!" Charlie said. "Hiya sport," he said, "Phi." he nodded in my direction. "Hey, B." I replied. "Bernard, please can we go? Please?" Charlie asked. Bernard looked from Charlie to Dad, "It's okay with me." he said.

The three of us looked at Dad waiting for his decision. 

Finally, he nodded. "Alright. Grab a quick bag." he said. "Maybe some of those longer pajamas." Bernard said as I walked up the stairs. I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed the basic essentials, then met Charlie on the stairs as we walked back down. "But wait, how are we all getting there?" Dad asked. Bernard laughed, "Leave that part to me," he said, holding out his hands. Charlie and I both took one, and Dad took Charlie's other hand. One second we were standing in Mom's house, the next, we were in the workshop.

We were finally back home.


	4. Finally Believing

"Alright, Santa, you go and get ready. We'll start getting the sleigh up and running." Bernard said. Dad nodded and turned in the direction of his room. "I have a lot of new ideas!" Charlie exclaimed as he jumped into the sleigh. "So do I." I said, making Charlie smile widely. 

"Well, let's hear them!" Bernard said. Charlie popped the hood on the sleigh and started pointing to different parts and explaining what to do with them. 

"The sleigh has a hood?" Dad asked, returning dressed in the full red suit and hat. "Your kids have some amazing ideas on how to keep you safe." Bernard said. Dad smiled as Bernard introduced him to another elf, "Santa, this is Quintin. He's the head of research and development." he said. "Nice to meet you, Quintin." Dad said. "You as well, Santa. Now, Charlie and Sera have come up with a lot of great ideas to show you." he said. 

Bernard nodded in agreement, "These are some of the best ideas to come out of the Pole since... the ball!" Bernard said.

"Fabulous, but what happens if I fall off the roof?" Dad asked. We lead him to another of our designs, and watched as two elves pointed flamethrowers at a new jumpsuit. "This one was Phi's idea." Bernard said, "It's a new fabric that's completely flame retardant." he said. "So fireplaces will never be a problem again." I said. Dad pat my shoulder, "Good thinkin', kiddo." he said. "But what happens if I fall off a roof?" Dad asked again. "We've got you covered!" Charlie said. "C'mon, you gotta get going!" Bernard said. We went to the sleigh and hopped in, "You guys ready?" he asked. Both of us nodded. "Alright, now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!" he called. "On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!" Charlie and I cheered. 

We laughed as the sleigh took off, and into the sky we flew. "Hey Charlie, show him the new stuff." I said. Charlie jumped up and started pressing buttons. "You now have radar jamming jingle bells, a snow screen, and some air freshener." Charlie said. "And most importantly, your hat." I said. "What about my hat?" Dad asked. "It has a microphone right here in this furry part on the end. It connects directly to Bernard and Judy." I said. He nodded. "Very nice." he said. "Wait, what's this?" he asked. "Oh, that's a CD." Charlie replied. "Ooh, compact disc!" Dad said.

I shook my head, "No, cookie slash cocoa dispenser." I said, reaching forward and pressing a button. Steaming hot cocoa immediately started trickling into the two mugs, and out popped a warm cookie. "You two really have thought of everything, huh? How could I do this without you?" he asked. Charlie and I shared a glance before looking back at Dad, "You couldn't." we said together. He laughed as we came to our first stop. "Alright, I'll be right back." he said, and disappeared down the chimney. I sat back in the seat and waited for him to come out.

As we were flying again, Charlie pointed, "Look! There's our house Sera." he said. "Dad, can we stop there? I made some stuff for Mom and Neil in the workshop." he said. "Sure kid." Dad said, and steered the sleigh in that direction. We landed on their roof and Dad looked at us, "Sit here for one second, okay? Let me explain to them what happened tonight." he said.   
Charlie and I nodded as he went down the chimney, and it was only a few minutes later that we saw cop cars pulling up. Charlie leapt from the sleigh, but I grabbed him just in time. "We have to help dad!" he cried. I shushed him, "We will, but if we go down there right now, we won't be allowed to see him or the Pole ever again." I said. "It'll be okay. Someone will notice he's not responding and get us some help." I said.

Charlie sniffed, and I noticed tears on his cheeks, "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. "This is all my fault." he cried. I turned him towards me and made him look at me, "Charlie, you listen to me, none of this is your fault! None of it! If anything, you are the reason there is still a Christmas to celebrate, kiddo!" I said. I wiped the tears from his face and pulled him in to a hug, "It's all going to be okay, kiddo. I promise you." I said. He nodded, and I held him as we waited for help to come.

***

"Bernard!" Judy shouted, coming into the surveillance room, "Santa was last seen at the Miller's but he's not answering his hat! I think something is wrong." she said. "Anything from Phi or Charlie?" Bernard asked. Judy shook her head, and Bernard looked at Quintin, "Time to send out E.L.F.S." Quintin said. Bernard nodded and pulled the large rope hanging from the ceiling, sounding the alarm and sending out the help to the Calvin kids. "I hope they're alright." Bernard said, wringing his large cap in his hands, something he'd started doing when he was nervous. "I'm sure they'll be fine," Quintin assured him, "E.L.F.S is the best rescue team there is."

Bernard nodded, and placed his cap back on his head, praying they wouldn't have to train a new Santa when he'd already let himself get attached to this one.

***

I looked up as I saw someone coming towards Charlie and me. I woke up my brother and stood to greet the elf flying towards us. "Seraphina? Charlie?" the elf asked. We both nodded, "Don't worry. We're the good guys. We're here to help you and your dad." he said.

"How?" Charlie asked, "Police have this place surrounded." he said. "Well, you see, we weren't planning on walking out the front door. This'll go a lot smoother if we fly." the elf said. He took one of my hands and one of Charlie's, and suddenly, we were flying over the trees and cars and people that surrounded our house.

"This is amazing!" I said. "One of the many perks of being an elf!" he replied. I laughed as we flew, and when we finally reached the jail, I was more than ready to fight anyone I needed to to help my dad.

"Hey, you're the Calvin kids." the officer behind the desk said, looking at a picture he had in a file. "Who are these other kids?" he asked. "We're your worst nightmare," the elf said, " _Elves with attitude_."

Charlie and I watched as the five elves spun the police officer around in his chair, wrapping him tightly in ribbon before stepping back to admire their work.

"C'mon Charlie, let's find dad and get back to the North Pole." I said. Charlie nodded, and with the help of the elves, we found the cell that dad was locked in. "Charlie! Sera! Are you guys okay?" he asked. We nodded, "We're fine, Dad." I said. "We're here to get you out." Charlie said. One of the elves stepped up to the cell door, "You got the key?" Dad asked. "Even better." the elf replied. He pulled a shiny piece of tinsel from his pocket, and slid it between the wall and the hinges of the door, creating sparks as the door was suddenly free of it's hold.

Dad stepped out and hugged Charlie and me. "C'mon guys, we gotta get you two back home." he said. Charlie and I nodded, and we left the station. The elves helped us get back home, and we walked in the front door. "Mom! Neil! We're home!" I called. Mom and Neil rushed into the living room when they heard us, and grabbed us up in a big hug. "We were so worried about the two of you!" Neil exclaimed, kissing the side of my head. "We're so sorry." I said.

"Um... I don't have a lot of time." Dad piped up after a few seconds. Charlie and I looked at him, "Did you leave the presents we made?" Charlie asked. Dad nodded, "Yeah, they're under there." he replied. "We better go then," Charlie said, starting to walk away. 

"Hey, hey, Charlie wait." Dad said. "What's wrong?" Charlie asked. "I... I need you and your sister to stay here." Dad said. "But dad..." Charlie said. "No buts, Charlie. I can't be selfish. Your mom and Neil... we're all a family, and they need to see you guys too." he said.

"But we'll miss you." I said. Dad hugged us both, "I'll miss you guys too, but you both know there's a lot of kids out there that I can't disappoint." he said. "So we can't be selfish either." Charlie cried. "Hey, both of you come here," Dad said, sitting down and pulling us in front of him, "You guys gave me a wonderful gift. The best gift I have ever received. Selfish? Pfft. You two believed in me when no one else did. You two helped make me Santa." he said, wiping tears from both of our faces.

We both hugged him and cried, thinking this would be our last time seeing him, until Mom spoke up. "Oh, I can't do this," she cried. She went into another room, and returned a few seconds later with a folder. "Consider this a Christmas gift." she said, throwing the custody papers into the fire. "I want you to come and see them whenever you can." she said. Dad smiled, "Thank you, Laura." he said. "Well, I guess I need to finish delivering all these gifts." Dad said, standing up.

"Do we really have to stay?" Charlie asked, tearing up again. Dad nodded. "Yeah sport. You do." he said.

"Hey, what's with all the tears?" asked Bernard, coming into the living room, carrying a sandwich. "It's nothing, Bernard. I was just saying goodbye to the kids." Dad said. "What? Goodbye? Charlie, do you still have the glass ball I gave you?" Bernard asked. Charlie nodded. "All either of you have to do, is shake it, and you can see your dad whenever you want to." he said. 

"Really?" I asked. Bernard nodded, "Have I ever steered you guys wrong?" he asked. I ran over and hugged him. "Oh," he said, awkwardly hugging me with the arm that wasn't holding his sandwich.

I let go of him as Neil scoffed, "Laura, don't you see what's happening here?" he asked, "He's pulling us all into his delusions!" he said. Mom laughed, "Neil, relax. I'll explain it to you later." she said. Neil looked back at me just as Bernard teleported away. "Where'd he go?" he asked. I laughed as Neil started searching for the tall elf, then went back to Dad and Charlie. "Alright, I've really gotta go now," Dad said. We watched as he went up the chimney, and walked outside to see him taking off in his sleigh, baffling the police officers that were still at the house. "Merry Christmas!" Dad yelled. "I love you guys!"

"Love you too, Dad!" Charlie and I yelled. Dad waved at us and snapped the reins, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!"

Charlie and I waved until Dad couldn't see us anymore, and stood watching until he was barely a speck in the Christmas night sky, and for the first time in years, I believed again.

***

I had just finished up the dishes when I noticed Charlie wasn't sitting at the table anymore. "Charlie?" I asked, drying my hands and walking out of the kitchen. I saw my little brother standing outside, the snow globe in his hands, looking up at the sky. "Sera, this stupid ball isn't working." he said.

He turned to walk inside, shoving the ball into my hands, when suddenly, "You miss me already?" Dad asked, floating back down with his bag. He landed on the ground and Charlie and I ran out to him. "It's only been ten minutes, kiddos. I was halfway to Cleveland!" he said. We laughed as he squeezed us close. "Hey, do you guys wanna go for a quick ride?" he asked. "Yeah!" Charlie and I said. "Of course, that's up to your mom." Dad said, and we turned to see Mom standing on the steps.

She sighed, but nodded, "Go on, spend the night with your father. But I expect you home bright and early." she said. We all nodded, "Bye Mom! Love you!" I said. "Hold on tight." Dad said, lifting Charlie in the arm that wasn't holding his bag. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and soon, we were back in the sleigh, on our way to the North Pole once again.


	5. A New Claus(e)

My second year coming to the Pole to spend Christmas with Dad wasn't nearly as emotional as the first year had been. It was _also_ eight years later. Because mom and I had made the agreement that I would finish high school and college before I started spending even more time at the North Pole.

Because after that first Christmas when Dad had become Santa, Charlie (who was now 16, starting high school, and stuck in the same agreement that I’d made mom years ago) and I had gotten Mom to agree to let us spend a few days leading up to Christmas Eve here, and Dad would drop Charlie and I off back home as he delivered presents. Mom didn’t want us getting too caught up in that and forgetting we had real responsibilities back home. Which made Charlie and I be extra careful as to not get our North Pole privileges taken away. Spending the few days we got though still gave us plenty of time to catch up with everyone and learn new things about making, wrapping, and delivering toys, and this time I was getting to spend the _entire_ month of December here!

"Always great to see your happy faces around here!" Bernard greeted as Dad and I hopped out of the sleigh. Dad shook friendly hands Bernard, clapping him on the shoulder and greeting him kindly before he had to dash to his office after a quick goodbye. I squinted at the elf. "What?" he asked.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Bernard?" I asked jokingly. "Har, har, har," Bernard replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. I laughed and walked forward to hug him, earning the always awkward embrace from the elf. "You're freezing." he said. I nodded, "I think it hit below freezing even before we were halfway here." I said.

Bernard nodded, "Come on, let's get you some nice, hot cocoa." he said, leading us to the kitchen. "So how are things running around here?" I asked as we walked. Bernard looked at me with a proud grin, "Tip-top shape, as always." he replied. I nodded as we made it to the kitchens and he made two mugs of cocoa. I sipped mine slowly, enjoying it's burn, and noticing a new taste. "Is this a new flavor?" I asked. 

He nodded, "Peppermint." he replied. "It's amazing." I complimented. "It's my own recipe." he said, "Not as good as Judy's, but she's had twelve hundred years to perfect a recipe, whereas I've only had about nine hundred and ninety eight." he said. "You're nine hundred years old?" I asked. He nodded, "Why?" he asked.   
I shook my head, "No reason. It's just... you look like you're my age." I said with a laugh. "How do you do that?" I asked. "Elf magic." he replied, sipping his drink. "Elves live forever, but they can choose where the physical process stops and stays." he said. "So what if you wanted to look a little older? Or younger? Could you just change?" I asked. He shook his head, "No, we can't just change whenever we want to. Once we stop the physical process, it's very, very dangerous to try and meddle with it. Not many elves have survived trying to do that." he said. "But I thought you said elves live forever?" I asked. "Elves live forever just like a Santa lives forever. As long as we don't fall off of a roof or do anything stupidly life threatening, we're fine." he explained.

I nodded and drank my cocoa. "So, what happens to the elves who have tried to change their appearance?" I asked. Bernard sighed, "They just kind of... disappear." he said. "To change your appearance, is to try and control your time. So, say you've lived for over three thousand years, and you stuck yourself looking like the age of twenty two, but one day you want to look older. You have to have the power to speed up time's aging process just enough to reach your desired appearance. It takes a very powerful, very wise, elf to do it. Because if you cant stop the aging, then eventually-" "The three thousand years would catch up to you and you'd basically turn to dust." I finished. "Not how I would have worded it, but yes." he said.

"So what age did you stop at?" I asked. "Twenty four." he said. "Enough about elves though, I'm sure you didn't come up here for an entire history lesson-" "I don't mind." I said, cutting him off, "I like learning new things." I said.

He smiled, "Maybe I'll tell you more later then. I want to know how you and Charlie have been," he said. "We've been good. I'm finally completely done with school and Charlie is about to head into his next year at high school so he's been pretty excited about that." I said, “I’m happy to just be done with it all.” Bernard laughed. "So how long are you staying?" he asked. "Until Christmas Eve." I said. "Hey, that's great!" Bernard exclaimed. "Yeah. I'm super excited to see how more things take place around here." I said. 

He smiled, "Well, I'd be glad to give you a proper tour. The last few time you were here didn't give us much time for any." he said. I nodded, "I'd love that." I said, finishing my cocoa. He had finished his before me, and he stood quickly. "Right this way," he said, giving a small bow and extending his arm in the direction we were going. I laughed and walked in the direction he wanted, him catching up to me easily.

"Oh Bernard!" Dad said as he ran into us, "Just who I was looking for. They're an elf short in Wrapping, do you think you could help out for a second?" he asked.

"Oh that sounds fun! Can I help too?" I asked. Dad nodded, "Of course! Learn all you can, sweetheart. I gotta go. Thanks guys!" he called over his shoulder as he walked away. Bernard lead the way to wrapping where I saw a bunch of elves, each at their own table with supplies and various sized boxes. A conveyor belt that twisted and turned to reach every table was in the center of the room, a line of presents moving down at a slow pace. 

"Alright, how well can you wrap presents?" Bernard asked as he grabbed one. "Not as well as these guys." I said. "Show me." he said. I grabbed the box and some paper and started to wrap. I was doing quite well, until it came down to folding the corners. I'd never been good at making that little point out of the paper, and the return of professional Bernard didn't help. "No, it needs to make a point." he said.

"I'm trying, Bernard." I said. "What does it matter anyway? It's just going to get torn to shreds." I said. "It matters because we want kids to see we care about making things nice for them." he replied. "Well thanks for that added pressure." I replied, trying to make the point again. "Here, watch me," Bernard said. He leaned down from where he was standing behind me, trapping me with his arms while he tried to show me how to do this. My mind however, was too focused on this new closeness between Bernard and I. I turned my head to look at him, and he smiled back, "You're not watching." he said softly. I giggled, "Sorry," I said, and turned back to watch his hands. I couldn't help but notice his scents of peppermint and cinnamon, they were a perfect mixture on him. "See, it's simple." he said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, and tried to wrap another gift, but again failed. "Don't worry, it takes practice." Abby, another of the elves, said. I smiled at her as she turned to walk out. "Though with Christmas Eve being in just thirty days, there's not much time for practice." Bernard said. "Again, thank you so much for that added pressure, B." I said. "Sorry." he said. I smiled, "It's okay." I said, and turned back to try and perfect these gifts.   
  


It took a few hours, but we were finally done with today’s gifts and leaving Wrapping to go back to the Workshop and get ready to close for the night.   


“I’m surprised this place ever closes,” I said as I helped Dad and Bernard clean up a few last minute things around the main floor.   
  


“Elves have to sleep, too, Sera.” Dad chuckled. I nodded, “Yeah, they do. It’s just the way you two talk about this place, I guess.” I replied, “Well, I’m gonna go get ready for bed. I’ll see both of you tomorrow.” I kissed Dad’s cheek and hugged Bernard, hating how late it was as I walked out of the Workshop and to the large home that Dad got for being Santa. I always wanted to spend more and more time awake when I got here! But I knew that just wasn’t possible as I yawned and got changed for bed. The fire crackling relaxing me and sending me straight to sleep. 

The next morning when I woke up, I got dressed and went through my normal morning routine before walking to the Workshop to see what I could do today.   


I saw my dad walking out of the kitchens with a large mug and started over to say good morning, but a different elf got there before I could.   
“Welcome back, Santa." greeted the elf I hadn't met before. "Thank you, Curtis. Sera, this is Curtis, he's the keeper of the Santa handbook." Dad said. I shook Curtis' hand and smiled down at him. "Nice to meet you." I said. "Likewise." he replied. As I dropped my hand, I saw a certain tall elf pass by and looked at the guys, "Excuse me." I said, and ran after Bernard. I jumped onto his back when I reached him, scaring him until he saw who was attacking him. "Hiya Berny!" I cheered. He glared back at me, "You scared the frost bite out of me!" he said. I laughed, "Well then shouldn't you be thanking me? Because, according to you, frost bite isn't something people normally like." I replied. 

He couldn't fight the smile away as I referenced what he'd told me on my first night here. "Get off of me and let me see you." he said. I hopped off of his back and he turned to hug me. "Wow, never thought I'd see you initiating the hug, B." I said. "Where's Charlie?" he asked, “Has your dad not gone back to get him yet?”   
"Oh, so you like him better than me?" I asked, only kidding. Bernard shrugged, "Well," he said. I punched his arm, making him laugh. "I'm joking! I like you equally." he said. "But you love me a little more, right?" I asked. "When you don't annoy me." he said. My jaw dropped at him. "You are so mean to me." I said. He chuckled and we started walking back to Dad and Curtis. "So where is Charlie?" Bernard asked. Charlie was supposed to have been picked up today, but he’d called me last night and said he couldn’t make it due to some tests he had to Study for. 

"He couldn’t make it. He had a bunch of tests he has to get ready for." I said. Bernard nodded glumly, "I guess that's important." he said. I nodded, “Unfortunately. He sends his love, though.” I said. That made Bernard smile a little. 

"Hey Bernard!" Dad greeted cheerfully as we came back to him. "I see you've already been found by this one." he said, pointing his thumb at me. "I'm sorry." he teased. Bernard chuckled, "I don't mind." he said. "Yeah, B loves me." I said, throwing my arm around his shoulder. Dad looked at us with the same exasperation he usually did before the four of us started walking around and checking in on all the elves and toys. Another Christmas looking like it would be successfully in the books. 

**_*********_**  
“How can you still can not wrap a decent present?” Bernard asked, sneaking up behind me as I was in Wrapping again to help the elves. I jumped and turned to see him looking at me. "How are you still as picky as ever?" I replied. "Hey, I have to be picky. Especially now, with Christmas being only twenty-nine days away." he said matter-of-factly.

"Whatever." I replied, "My gift wrapping is not that bad." I said. He raised his eyebrows and looked down at my box. "Phi, Comet could wrap a better present than that." he said. "I'd like to see him try." I said. "No, you wouldn't, because then you would be embarrassed in front of the entire Pole." he replied. I put the wrapping paper down and turned to fully face him. "Why are you bothering me when I'm trying to work?" I asked. He chuckled, "I am going on a cocoa break, and was wondering if you'd like to join me. Give this poor paper a break." he said.

"I don't know. I don't like taking cocoa breaks with people who insult my masterpieces." I said. Bernard scoffed, "If that's what you want to call it." he said. "See, now it's a definite no." I said, turning to grab the next gift coming towards me on the conveyor belt. "Alright. I'll see you later then." he said, turning to leave. He stopped though, and turned back to me, "Oh, did I mention it's peppermint cocoa today?" he asked.

I stopped wrapping and looked back at him to see him trying to keep the smirk off of his face. Which he failed to do as I passed the gift to another elf and walked over to join him. "Shut up." I said as we left the workshop. "I didn't say anything!" he laughed. "You know exactly what you did! Tempting me with my favorite flavor of cocoa." I said. "It's not my fault that you have little to no self control when it comes to peppermint cocoa." he replied as we walked. "Yes, it is. Because you introduced me to it, and now you have the power of using it against me whenever you want to." I said.

One corner of his mouth turned up into a crooked smile, "Maybe that was my plan all along, to get you under a spell so you'll do things I don't want to." he said. I scoffed, "You're not that evil." I said. "I'm not evil at all." he replied, handing me a mug of cocoa. "This addictive drink begs to differ." I said as we sat at a table. He shook his head as he chuckled. 

Upon my first arrival in the North Pole, a laugh, or even a small smile would have blown my mind to see on Bernard's face. Now, after years of knowing him, I realized that he really wasn't as snippy as he was that first night.

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked as we sat there. He exhaled loudly, "Same as always. Just making the new toys." he said. He opened his mouth to say something else, when suddenly, another elf was at his side, looking panicked. "Bernard, we have a problem." he said. 

Bernard and I jumped up to follow him and he lead us to a room I had definitely never seen before. "What is this place?" I asked. "It's for surveillance. We use it to make sure nothing gets too close to discovering the North Pole." Bernard explained. I nodded, "Is that what's happening now?" I asked. The elves nodded, and the one who had lead us here pointed to a green radar screen.

There was an airplane on it that was getting closer and closer. "Ok, take us to Elfcon three." Bernard said, flipping switches and pressing buttons. A warning alarm started to sound, and Bernard looked back at the screen, "These guys aren't stopping!" he said. "Take it to Elfcon two." he ordered. "Can I do anything?" I asked. Bernard shook his head, "Not unless you can stop this plane coming towards us." he said. I watched as I saw a telescope like object start moving up through the floor and saw Dad looking through it. "We have a partridge in a pear tree," Dad said, "Take us to Elfcon one, now!" he said. The elves did as told and suddenly, the entire North Pole was silent. Except for a song playing somewhere in the Pole.

"Find out where that music is coming from!" Bernard snapped.

One of the elves quickly tracked it into the stables and Dad, Bernard, and I rushed down there, where we found Curtis holding a singing and dancing Santa doll. Quickly, Dad rushed over and pressed the button to stop the doll, and a few seconds later, a voice came over the intercom system telling us we were all clear.

Bernard looked down at Curtis, "Curtis, you are nine hundred years old! Grow up!" Bernard snapped at the book keeper elf. "Bernard!" Dad called as he walked away. The three of us followed him as he made his rounds around the workshop. "You know," Curtis said, "I wasn't breaking any rules. In fact, according to the handbook-" "Oh, the handbook... Curtis, do you sleep with that thing?" Bernard asked him.

Curtis ignored him, "According to the book, elves are encouraged to listen to music. It makes them jollier-"

"Hey, maybe you should try that, B." I said. He sent me a glare. "It also makes them more alert." Curtis said. "What exactly do elves need to be alert about?" I asked. "Well, for instance- LOOK OUT!" Curtis yelled. The four of us ducked as a reindeer came flying through very unsteadily. We looked back in time to see him crash into a banner and take off a brick or two from nearby houses. "Was that Prancer?" Dad asked. "Looked like Vixen to me." I said. Dad and I looked at the elves, "Who was that?" I asked. "That was Chet!" Curtis said. "Chet?" Dad asked. Bernard sighed as he picked up his cap from the snow covered ground and brushed it off. "He's a reindeer in training." he said. "Please tell me it's early in his training." I said. The elves shrugged.

As the four of us walked back inside, we saw many elves hard at work to get toys made, painted, and decorated for Christmas. Dad got called to the toy car department for a car that wouldn't start, and a few minutes later, it was fixed. "Thanks Santa!" the elf said. "You're welcome." Dad replied.

Our next stop was at a table where Alexander was making bouncing toy kangaroos that wore cowboy hats. He was having trouble though getting them to stay upright.

I walked over, "Hey, Alexander, little suggestion," I said, "Take the hat off." I said. He did, and smiled as the kangaroo stayed bouncing across the table. "Thanks Sera!" he said, giving me a fist bump. "Not a problem." I replied as we walked off. "Good job." Bernard said. I smiled at him as we came to another stop. "Hey, Joey!" Dad yelled up to an elf on the higher level. "How's that static free tinsel coming?" he asked. Joey started to smile, "Hey guys," he said to the other elves, "Santa wants to see the new tinsel."

We didn't have time to react as baskets upon baskets of tinsel were emptied down onto us. The elves laughed and Dad looked up at them. "I see how it is. You know, I could come up there and take care of this the ugly way, or... We could go outside and play some football." Dad said. 

The tinsel elves cheered as they ran down the stairs and outside. I started to follow, when I heard Bernard stress to Curtis, "You need to tell him, right now!" he said. "But he seems so happy right now!" Curtis replied, "And why do I have to be the one to tell him?" he asked. "Because!" Bernard snapped, "I'm the head elf, I don't give bad news. It's one of the perks of my seniority." he said. I saw him move to come this way, and quickly ran outside so I wouldn't be caught eavesdropping.

Bernard stood next to me on the steps and smiled when I looked over at him. I laughed, earning a confused expression from the elf. "What's so funny?" he asked. "You have tinsel in your hair." I said, reaching up to untangle it from his dark curls. I gently fixed the curl back into place an discarded the tinsel. "There." I said. I turned back to watch as the elves playing football easily maneuvered around my Dad, and quickly won the game before piling on top of him. I couldn't help but smile at their cheer, but I became worried as Bernard and Curtis walked over to him. I caught up to them in time to hear Bernard say, "Santa, we need to talk."

Dad and I followed Bernard to Dad's office, where he helped him pull on his big red coat to get ready for the Council of Legendary Figures meeting that Dad had to host today. "That's weird, this fit yesterday, didn't it?" Dad asked as Abby walked in. "Good morning, Santa." she said, bringing in his morning cocoa.

"This isn't a good time, Abby." Bernard said. She delivered the cocoa anyways up to Dad's desk, "I sent Dasher out for some Brazilian cocoa beans." she said. "What's the bad news?" Dad asked her. "What do you mean?" she asked with a fixed smile. "Whenever you play the designer bean card, that usually means you have bad news." I said.   
The smile disappeared from her face as she handed over a scroll. "What are you doing with the Naughty-and-Nice list?" Dad asked her.

"Just don't shoot the messenger," she said, "It's... It's Charlie." she said. "Sheen? I thought he was doing better?" I asked. She shook her head, "Not that Charlie." she replied. Dad looked at the list, "My Charlie." he said. I knew I wasn't supposed to see Santa's list, but I grabbed the scroll anyway, "My brother is on the naughty list?" I asked.

I looked at Bernard, "This has to be a mistake." I said. "We don't make mistakes." he replied sadly. "I'm sorry, Santa. Please excuse me," Abby said as she left the room. "Is this what you and Curtis were trying to tell me?" he asked. "Oh great, you told him! Let's get you ready for that meeting." Curtis said, rolling in a large magnifying glass. "No, I have to go see Charlie." Dad said as Bernard fixed the buttons on the red coat. "Curtis, tell him now." Bernard said. "Tell him what?" I asked, just as curious at this point to know what could be worse than Charlie being on the naughty list. "Santa, there's a clause." Curtis said. "Which would be me." Dad said. Curtis and Bernard shook their heads, "No," Curtis said, "I mean, there's another Santa clause."

"Curtis, in case you haven't noticed, malls all over the world are filled with other "Santa Clauses." I said. "Yes, but there's another Santa clause. There was the first clause, but now there's a second one." he said. "Get on with it!" Bernard snapped. "Alright, when the last Santa fell off of the roof you put on the coat and found the card." Curtis said.

Dad nodded, "Yeah, something about accepting all the duties of being Santa Claus." he replied. "And the rest is history, right?" I asked, looking at them. Bernard avoided my gaze and looked at Curtis. "Well it seems, that our number two elf, the keeper of the handbook, overlooked the single most _important_ detail iN _THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS!_ " he yelled. "Wow," Curtis replied flatly, "One mistake in nine hundred years."

Bernard looked ready to explode as he pulled up the large magnifying glass so dad could read the even finer print on the card. "The card holder acknowledges the woman of his choosing, yada yada, Something about true love... words, words, words.. In holy... _Matrimony_!?" Dad asked loudly. "I've gotta get married!" he exclaimed.

Well... Christmas just got _much_ more complicated.


	6. A New Kind of Toy

Dad looked at Bernard and Curtis, "Well what if I don't want to get married?" he asked them, pulling the end of his belt through its buckle. It yanked further than usual, making us all look a little worried. "Oh no. The De-Santafication process has begun!" Curtis exclaimed. 

"De-Santafi-what?" I asked. "The De-Santafication process," Bernard said. He looked at Dad, "It means, that if you don't get married soon... You can no longer be Santa." "What? But what about the kids? The elves? What about you guys?" Dad asked. "It's not completely hopeless, sir, you still have time to find a wife." Bernard said.

"Well how much time do I have exactly?" Dad asked. "Twenty eight days." Curtis said. "So he has to be married by Christmas?" I asked. "Well, Christmas Eve." Bernard replied. Dad sighed and shook his head, "I guess it's over then." he said. I knelt down near the arm of the chair he was in, "Dad, don't say that! You can't give up hope yet." I said, "We've gotten through much worse than this." I said.

"She's right, Santa." Curtis said, "You can't give up hope. Because if you do, then we all have to."

Dad looked at us and nodded, "You're right." he said, standing up. "Whelp, I guess I'd better go and get ready for this meeting." He kissed my head and nodded at the elves. "See you guys in a few minutes." he said, walking out to head to his office. 

I groaned and threw myself back into his chair. "Great. This is just great! First Charlie is on the naughty list, and now there's a chance we'll have to leave the North Pole! Why does everything bad happen so close to Christmas?" I asked. Bernard sat on the arm of the chair and looked down at me, "Welcome to my world." he said. 

I looked up at him and gave him a shove, making him lose his balance and slip off of the chair. He glared at me as he got up, then leaned down on the arms of the chair. "Listen, Phi, I'm sure that this will all work out. You'll see." he said, trying to give a small pep talk. I gave him a small smile as he stood back up.

As we were leaving Dad's office, the phone that he used to keep in touch with Charlie and I started to ring. I walked over and answered it, "Hello?" I asked. "Sera, where is your father?" Mom asked, sounding rather stressed. "He's in a meeting of legendary figures. What's wrong?" I asked. I felt angry as she explained what had happened, "He did what!?" I asked. She sighed, "I was just as shocked as you are. Just please, tell your father to get down here." she said. "I will, Mom. I love you." I said. 

"I love you, too." she said. We hung up, and I stomped past Bernard and Curtis to find my father. "Phi, what happened?" Bernard asked as he caught up to me. "I have to talk to my father." I replied, marching up a staircase.

"Sera, you can't just barge in there! It's a meeting of legendary figures!" Curtis said. "This is my brother I'm trying to help, Curtis. I don't care about the legendary figures!" I snapped as we came to a stop outside of Dad's office. "Seraphina," Bernard said, grabbing my hand, "Curtis is right,"

I opened my mouth to argue, but he shushed me with his hand over my mouth, "I know you wanna help Charlie, we all do, but this is an extremely important meeting." Bernard said, trying to make me understand.

I sighed, and nodded, making him remove his hand. I looked at him for a moment, then quickly burst into the room, making Bernard yell as he tried to stop me, and all of the legendary figures turned to look at me. "Sera, we're a bit busy." Dad said. "Can I talk to you? It's important." I said. "Santa?" asked a woman who was looking at us. "I'm sorry, Mother Nature. Um, everybody, this is my daughter, Seraphina. I have to talk to her, I'll be right back." he said, standing and walking into the hall with me. "Santa, I'm sorry, I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen-"

"Dad," I said, interrupting Bernard's ranting, "Mom called. Apparenly, Charlie has become quite the artist." I said. "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked. "It's better if you see for yourself. Mom and Neil have a meeting with Principal Newman today at three and Mom wants you there." I said. Dad sighed, "Alright, I... I'll figure it out when I'm done in here." he said. I nodded.

He walked back in to his office and I sat against the wall, trying not to get too upset. "Hey, " Bernard said, sitting next to me, "Let's go and get some cocoa, it'll calm you down." he said. "Any chance you've got something harder?" I asked. Bernard's eyes widened, "Are you even old enough to suggest such a thing?" he asked. I laughed, "I'm twenty-one, remember?" I replied.

***

Bernard let out a "Huh." as he remembered that his friend was, in fact, of legal drinking age. "Well, as much as I sometimes wish we did, there's nothing here that's harder than cider." he said. Phi sighed as she closed her eyes and let her head fall against his shoulder. He felt the warmth he usually felt whenever she touched him course through his body, and it took all of his self-control not to do anything stupid.

Bernard didn't know when he had started having these feelings. He supposed that he's always had them, in some way, for his friend. But he knew it wasn't until last year's visit that he had actually acknowledged them. He noticed that she seemed... older... in a way. More mature, yet she still had that mischievous glint in her eye that he couldn't help but admit he loved.

She was still shorter than him, which he loved to tease her about, and she seemed to have more curves than the last few years.

Bernard knew he shouldn't be looking at her that way, or thinking of her as anything more than a friend, but he found himself unable to help it. Especially in times like this.

She was the closest he had ever let anyone get to him. Which only made him feel worse when he thought about the fact that her father may have to stop being Santa.

Children around the world had become eighty-five percent happier since he had taken on the role! The spirit of Christmas was more alive than ever, and the North Pole was absolutely thriving with all of the magic is was receiving. Bernard shuddered to think of what would happen if Scott Calvin had to leave his position.

It scared him to think that he may never see Seraphina or Charlie again. They had given him more joy than he'd felt in ages! If he lost them-

His thought was interrupted by Phi saying his name. He had been so lost inside his own head that he hadn't even noticed her stand up. That's also when he noticed Santa and Curtis were there as well. 

"B, are you feeling okay?" Phi asked him, kneeling down to press a warm hand under the curls that fell over his forehead. He managed a smile, "I'm okay. Just daydreaming I guess." he said. "You? Daydreaming? That's something I never thought I'd see Mr. Head Elf doing." Phi said with a laugh. 

Bernard rolled his eyes as he stood up. "So, what's our plan?" he asked as the four of them started walking. "I came up with something I think is going to work." Curtis said. Bernard sighed. Curtis meant well, but his plans didn't always work out.

Bernard remembered the one year that Curtis wanted to make snow globes that actually produced snow when shaken, thinking that kids could have a little piece of winter whenever they wanted. Only problem was, that the elf didn't look at which globes he'd grabbed before casting some of his Christmas Magic on them.

The workshop and all of the elves were covered in glitter for weeks.

Bernard shook his head as he tuned back in to the conversation. "I need to go see Charlie but I also need to run things up here, while also trying to find a wife!" Santa was saying. "If only you could be in two places at once." Seraphina said. "Well," Curtis spoke up, and Bernard got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This could not be good.

They entered one of the many toy making rooms of the Workshop and Curtis asked for the room, telling all of the elves to take a cocoa break, which annoyed Bernard seeing as Christmas was twenty eight days away and they couldn't afford a set back of any kind.

He sighed as the last little elf walked out and turned his attention to Curtis, who was pressing buttons and pulling levers on one of the control panels near the pantograph.

"I've taken the liberty of tripling the RAM and I've reconfigured the circuitry." Curtis said as he walked back to Santa and Seraphina.

"And you've externalized the power source. Is that to make better use of the electromagnetic energy?" Phi asked. Bernard smiled at how smart she was. She hardly showed it off, but Seraphina was one of the smartest people he had ever had the pleasure of knowing.

"It's actually there just cause it looks cool, but I guess that's a good source of it too." Curtis said.

Seraphina nodded, then realized something, "Wait a second... You said you tripled the RAM?" she asked. 

Curtis nodded, and Phi protested. "No." she said. "Curtis, she's right," Bernard said. "Of course you say that," the other elf muttered. Bernard almost snapped on him, when Santa spoke up again. "There's no way I'm getting in this machine." he said.

"Besides, creating a toy Santa won't solve our problems!" Bernard snapped. "He's right," Phi agreed, "The elves will definitely notice." she said. "But this will be a special toy!" Curtis said, "I've added a fuzzy logic circuit. So the duplicate will think and act just like Santa!" he exclaimed. "Oh, so while I'm dealing with Charlie, the toy Santa will be-"

"Up here melting in front of the fireplace." Phi cut in. Bernard hid a chuckle under a cough as he looked at the machine again, his nerves very on edge as he saw Santa actually considering it. "No," Curtis said, becoming annoyed with Seraphina's doubting, "The toy Santa will be up here dealing with everything that needs dealt with."

"I can handle everything that needs dealt with!" Bernard snapped. He walked to Santa and looked up at him, "Santa, if the elves found out that we made a switch... No! No, no, no. This machine is not the answer!" he argued.

"Well what else do you propose we do?" Curtis asked Bernard. "I don't know! But this is definitely not it!" Bernard snapped back. "Well until you come up with something, why don't you just admit I have a good idea here and-"

"Curtis, do you not remember the snow globe incident of 2003?" Bernard asked. "That was not my fault! Someone handed me the wrong globes!" Curtis argued. "Guys," Seraphina said, trying to stop their bickering, but the boys only continued. 

"Oh sure, because you couldn't have checked whether it was fake snow or glitter inside the globes, right?" Bernard asked. "Well maybe if we hadn't been using the white glitter, it wouldn't have happened!" Curtis yelled.

"Guys!" Seraphina yelled again. This time, the boys stopped and looked at her as she pointed to a mouse that had climbed onto the conveyor belt leading into the machine.

It started up, startling the mouse and making it run right into the machine. As it sparked and whirred, the four of them ran to the other side to see the original mouse come out unharmed, with an exact replica plastic mouse behind it. The toy mouse squeaked and followed it's twin.

"See, you can't get much better than that." Curtis said. "Curtis, I could think of a million things that are better than a bunch of mice running around the kitchens again." Seraphina said.

"Wait, what do you mean, again?" Bernard asked her. She looked at him, and saw he was already about to explode, "So what are you thinking, Dad?" she asked Santa, avoiding Bernard's question. 

He sighed exasperatedly and shook his head. "I'm thinking..." Santa sighed, "I'm thinking it's the best we've got in the time we have left." he said. 

"Dad, wait, what if you let me go handle Charlie and Principal Newman?" Seraphina asked. Bernard looked at her, a pang of sadness in his chest at the thought of her leaving early, only to be replaced with relief when Santa shook his head, "You're not Charlie's parent or legal guardian, Sera. They wouldn't discuss anything with you." he replied. 

"But dad,"

"Sera, it's the only choice we have." He said as he stepped onto the conveyor belt. "Alright Curtis, hit it." Santa said. "Oh, I can't watch this!" Seraphina groaned. She stepped behind Bernard and hid her face between his shoulders, making him gasp slightly as her arms wrapped around his middle.

He awkwardly pat her hands, trying to give some comfort as he watched Santa move into the machine, and awkwardly walked back to the other side with his friend still attached to him, awaiting the outcome.

***

I couldn't watch as Dad went into the machine.

Hiding my face against Bernard's back, I waited until he told me it was alright to look, and I saw an exact replica of my father walk stiffly out of the machine.

"It's perfect!" Curtis exclaimed. "That's cause it's me, Einstein." Dad said, dropping the charade. It was just a second later, that another Santa made it's way out of the machine. I knew this was never going to work. He was obviously plastic! How were we supposed to make the other elves believe that he was their Santa Claus?

"Can it talk?" I asked Curtis. He nodded, "He can do everything the real Santa can." he replied. I moved out from behind Bernard, and walked over to the plastic Santa. "Hello?" I asked. It blinked a few times, then said, "Hello!"

We all gasped.

"Ho, ho, ho." Dad said, seeing if the toy could mimic the laugh. "Ho, ho, ho." the toy Santa copied.

Dad smiled at Curtis, "Not bad, buddy." he said, clapping him on the shoulder, "Watch him, I'll be right back. Bernard, Sera, come 'ere." he said.

Bernard and I walked over with Dad and he looked down at us. "I need the two of you to help me out." he said. "What do you mean?" Bernard asked nervously, his voice pitching a bit.

"I have to go see Charlie. While I'm gone, I need you two to convince the other elves that toy Santa is actually real Santa." he said. "Dad, have you seen that thing?" I asked, "Besides, I kind of wanted to come and see Charlie." I said.

Dad nodded, "I know, Sera, but I don't know how long I'll be gone and I really need you to lend a hand up here. I promise you that I will somehow get Charlie up here for a visit, just please, please do this for me." he said.

I frowned, but nodded. "Alright, but what do we tell the elves?" I asked. "Santa, I can't lie to all of the elves. I am awful at lying." Bernard said. "I'm not asking you to lie, I'm asking you to just stretch the truth a little. Tell the elves that I've changed my look. It'll work, trust me." Dad said. 

Bernard let out a nervous sound as he looked at the toy Santa. "Please don't ask me to do this." Bernard begged. "Bernard, please, for me, just convince them. I will never ask something like this of you again." Dad promised. Bernard sighed, and Dad pat both of his shoulders, "Thanks buddy." he said.

"I'll sneak out when everyone is sleeping so no one knows what's happening." Dad said as Curtis joined us. "Everything will be fine. You go handle Charlie and we'll handle things up here." Curtis assured him.

It was midnight when Dad, Bernard, and I walked down to the stables to wake Comet, who grumbled at being woken up. "Comet, chill out. Besides, when was the last time that you and I had a ride together?" Dad asked. Comet made protestant noises, "Because, Comet. I don't want to take Prancer, I want to take you." Dad said.

"Santa, before you go, take a look at your watch." Bernard said, handing it over. "Oh yeah, can't go anywhere without that." Dad replied. "I've done some work on it." Bernard said. Dad looked at the watch more closely, "This is beautiful, Bernard. It really is."

"You like it?" Bernard asked happily. Dad nodded as he put it on, "I love it. The workmanship is beautiful. Why aren't you in design?" he asked the elf, who's pointed ears were turning a slight shade of pink. "I-I was, actually. Before I was the head elf." Bernard replied, "Anyway, I added a power reserve to keep track of how much magic you use and have left. Right now it's at 10." he explained.

"That should be enough, right?" I asked. Bernard nodded, "Yes, but, if any magic is used for any reason, the level drops depending on how much was used." he said. "What happens when it reaches zero?" I asked, dreading the answer. Bernard hesitated. "Bernard, what happens if my watch hits zero?" Dad asked.

The elf sighed and looked sadly at his boss. "If it gets to zero... You won't be able to return to the Pole." he said. I ran my hand through my hair worriedly. 

"Hey, Sera, look at me." Dad said, "I'm coming back. I promise." he said. I nodded. "Just make sure you do." I replied. He winked at us before climbing up on to Comet and taking off. I watched until I couldn't see him anymore, then turned and walked away with Bernard. "I guess we'll tell the elves in the morning about Toy Santa." Bernard said through a yawn.

I nodded, "Yeah. I guess you'd better practice your story." I replied. He groaned, "I don't want to do this." he said, sitting at one of the lunch tables we were passing. He took his large velvet cap off and sat his face in his hands. I sat next to him and rubbed his back, "B, do you want me to do it? I don't mind." I said. He shook his head without lifting it, "I'll do it. It's my job as head elf to deliver the meeting." he said.

"You know, speaking of jobs, why didn't you ever tell me you were one of the designer elves?" I asked him. He finally lifted his face as he shrugged, "Never came up, I guess." he replied. "So what do designer elves do, exactly?" I asked. He looked at me, "Would you like to see?" he asked. I nodded, "Very much!" I said. 

He stood and I followed him as he lead me to one of the highest floors I'd ever been on in the Workshop. "The designer elves are the ones who stick mostly to jewelry, ornaments, and other finely crafted things. Like, for example, those glass dolls and music boxes that always have an order form stuck in the back of magazines? Those come from us." he said. 

"So you guys are in charge of every tiny detail?" I asked. He nodded as he flipped on a light and sat at the table in the room. He tapped his fingers against the table and pursed his lips as he thought about what to make. "Need some inspiration?" I asked. He looked at me, "I think I have some." he said, and I watched as he got to work. 

Bits of his magic, tools, and different metals were used to create two trinkets. They looked like old fashioned stop watches, but when Bernard opened them, the bottom was beautifully decorated with a North Pole scene, while the inside of the top remained blank. "One for you, and one is for Charlie, the next time you visit him or vice versa." he said. 

"These are beautiful, B." I said. He smiled, "They're for when you guys want to see each other. You just press this button on top and Charlie's will start to glow. Then you can see each other while you talk." he explained. I couldn't help myself, I threw my arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"You're the best, B." I said. He chuckled as he slid his arms around me, and we stayed like that for a few seconds too many, breaking apart when a clock chimed loudly. "Wow. Already two in the morning." he said as he let me go. I looked up at him, "I guess we should be heading to bed, huh?" I asked.

Bernard nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he cleaned up the station before shutting out the lights. "Why don't you use your magic more often?" I asked him. He shrugged, "I like doing things by hand. I never wanted to become too dependent on it just in case one day I couldn't use it anymore." he said. I nodded, "I can see that." I replied. 

"It also takes a bit out of me." he said. I looked at him, "Bernard, you didn't have to use your magic if it makes you tired." I said. He chuckled as he reached out to switch off a light that had been left on, "I didn't use that much to make those. Just enough to get them working. I'm fine." he said.

When we reached the outside, I shivered as I pulled my jacket tighter around me and walked to the house Dad and I shared. "B, go on home. You don't have to walk me." I said, trying to get him to finally go and sleep. "I'm fine." he said. Both of us were unable to control our yawns as we reached my home. "Thanks for staying with me," I said, "And for these." I held up the pocket watches. He smiled, "You're welcome. I'll see you later." he said, turning to leave. "Yeah. See you." I said.

I walked inside and quickly pulled some pajamas on. I put the pocket watches on my night stand as I shut my lamp off, and finally closed my eyes, hoping tomorrow would go smoothly.


	7. So Far So... eh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to post Sunday so here it is now! 😂 enjoy♥️

I woke up early the next morning to meet Bernard in the kitchens. "So, you ready for this?" I asked him. He shook his head, "Not at all. Let's get it over with." he said, finishing his cocoa and walking out onto the Workshop floor.

"Everybody! Can I have your attention for a few minutes?" he called. He sighed when no one looked up at us and let out a sharp whistle, making everyone stop. "Thank you! I just have a-a quick announcement then you can all get back to work." he said, a bit nervously. 

"B, you sure you wanna do this?" I asked softly. He nodded and took a deep breath. "S-Santa has asked me to inform all of you about a certain... change of appearance he's taken. I myself think he looks absolutely terrific! Better and fresher than he has in years. Right, Phi?" he asked, looking to me for help.

I nodded, "Y-yes! Definitely. There's a- a more supple veneer to his skin, an added... luster, to his hair." I said. "You could almost say there's a toy like quality to him," Bernard said, "Most importantly, he is very happy with his new look. So I caution you all not to point, or stare-"

"Or use the word "plastic."" I said.

Bernard nodded, "Yes. Ok, that's all. Back to work please." he said with a nervous laugh. I quickly followed as he made his way out of the sea of elves and over to his office, where he shut the door. "Bernard?" I asked, knocking softly. "Come in, Phi." he replied. I opened the door and saw him leaned against his desk. "You okay?" I asked, leaning next to him. He nodded, "Yeah. I just felt kind of sick. I don't like lying." he said. I nodded, "Well, you're an elf, I wouldn't expect you to like something that usually gets a mark towards the naughty list." I said. "Yes, thank you, Seraphina, for that reminder." he snapped.

"Sorry." I said as I looked at the floor. He sighed and turned to me, "No, I am. I'm sorry for snapping. This whole thing just has me so stressed out. I don't like having a fake Santa here, I don't like Scott being away or being put under so much pressure with limited magic, I don't like not being able to make you feel better about this, I just..." he let out an exasperated breath and ran his fingers through his curls.

"Bernard, it's going to be okay. We'll... we'll get through this Christmas just like we have the last ones. Dad will be back, with a wife and with a good listed Charlie. We'll shrink the toy Santa and we'll all live happily ever after." I said.

I picked his cap from his hands and placed it back on his head, "Now, you trust me?" I asked. He looked at me, and eventually nodded. "I trust you." he replied. I smiled and took his hands, "Then let's go back into the Workshop and act like everything is fine. The elves need to see their leader out there or else they'll definitely know something is up." I said. He nodded and let me pull him out of his office.

"Let's go find Curtis and see where he's gotten with Toy Santa." he said. "Good idea." I said, and we walked up to Dad's room to find Curtis and the toy Santa in there practicing some sayings and actions. "Yeah. No, no, I- I think this will work. Good... good job, Curtis." Bernard said. Curtis looked up at him, "Would it kill you to give a compliment with your whole heart?" he asked. Bernard turned his attention back to the toy Santa.

"Santa, I need you to look at this." Curtis said, holding up the rule book. The toy Santa leaned down and looked at the book, "Very nice!" he said. I laughed a little, "I think he means he wants you to read it." I said. Curtis nodded and Santa took the rule book, "Ok, well let's try to be more specific next time." he said. "I'll just go and look at this over at my desk." the toy said.

"How does he know where his desk is?" I asked. "I programmed him that way. He knows everything the real Santa does." Curtis said, walking over to the desk. Bernard and I followed.

"Santa, I want you to memorize everything in that book. It's the key to being Santa." Curtis told him.

"Right! I'll memorize everything in the book. I'll follow all the rules, cause rules are very important!" Fake Santa exclaimed. "So when do we introduce him to the other elves?" I asked. "Why not now?" Curtis asked. I nodded, "Santa, grab that book and follow us. It's time to meet your workers." I said. He nodded and followed Bernard, Curtis, and I out of the office and into the Workshop.

"Alright Santa, I need you to put on a smiley face and say hello to all your elves." Bernard said as we walked onto the floor. "Ho, ho, ho you're all doing a wonderful job!" Toy Santa cheered. An elf walked up to us, and I braced myself for any questions about the fake Santa's look, but all the elf asked was a question about wheels on the toy car he was carrying. "Ho, ho, ho you're doing a wonderful job!" the toy Santa exclaimed, making the elf skip away happily. "You're doing great." Curtis said.

"I'd dial it down a bit on the ho, ho, ho's, but other than that, you're golden." Bernard said. "Why don't you two just admit it? Just say, "You were right, Curtis. I was wrong."" Curtis said.

"Ok, ok, I admit it. This was a pretty good idea." I said. Bernard nodded, "And the elves seem to like him. They're happy, they're working hard... Everything is going to be fine." Bernard said. Though it sounded like he was still trying to convince himself of that.

"You know this book has some very interesting reading!" Toy Santa said, flipping through pages, "There are a lot of rules that no one is following." 

"That's what I've been saying all along!" Curtis exclaimed. Bernard and I looked at him. "Things have gotten a little too sloppy around here if you ask me." he said. "Yes! Sloppiness means mistakes, and **_MISTAKES AREN'T A GOOD THING_**!" he yelled.

"Well what do you say we should do?" Curtis asked the fake. "Nothing needs done, Curtis." I said, trying to get the ideas away from the two of them.

"I beg to differ," the fake Santa said, "There's many things that need some improvement." he said as he walked off. "Curtis, he isn't supposed to be changing rules and learning everything. Just enough to make him believable." I said. "Well I think he's learning at an excellent rate." Curtis replied. "Oh really?" Bernard asked, "At lunch he ate a bowl of waxed fruit." he said.

"Wait a minute you three, I need the Naughty-or-Nice list." Fake Santa said. "No." Bernard told him, shaking his head. "But yes! It says I'm supposed to check it twice." Santa replied. "Santa already checked it." I said. "No I didn't." the fake Santa replied.

"The real Santa!" Bernard exclaimed. "But I am the real Santa." the fake insisted. "No, you're not. You don't need that list." I argued. "I am, and I'm ordering you to give it to me. Those are the rules, and I like the rules." Fake Santa said.

"Distract him!" I whispered to Bernard. He stepped up and pointed to the tinsel elves. "Santa, why don't you go and play some football with those elves over there?" Bernard asked him. "Yeah, it's fun. One of the rules is to have fun." I lied, trying to get his mind off of the Naughty-and-Nice list. "What is the object of this Tinsel Football?" Santa asked. "If you don't have the ball, get it. If you do have the ball, you run to the end zone." Curtis explained. The fake Santa nodded and handed me the rule book.

"Good, now can we destroy this thing?" I asked. Curtis looked up at me, "No! Absolutely not!" he exclaimed. "Curtis-" I started, but Bernard cut me off, "Phi, he's right. I know this Santa is taking it a little overboard-"

"Overboard? Bernard, he's pummeling the tinsel football team." I said, watching as the toy Santa chased one of them up a staircase as he tried to get away. Bernard sighed and took the rule book from me, "Listen, this book was written by the world's very first Santa himself! It's extremely old and if we destroy it, we'd be destroying a part of Christmas history." he said. I huffed as I turned back to see that Toy Santa had disappeared. "Where'd he go?" I asked, noticing Curtis had disappeared as well. "Not good," Bernard said, and we rushed up the staircase to find them. We searched the whole workshop, until we finally found them exactly where he shouldn't be.

"Curtis, why is he in the Naughty-and Nice Center?" Bernard asked. "What's going on?" I asked. "I'm checking the Naughty-and-Nice list." Santa replied, "Actually, I'm checking it twice." he said. 

"I already told you!" Bernard snapped. I put my hand on his shoulder, telling him to calm down in front of the other elves. He sighed and looked up at the toy Santa, "It's been checked. Don't worry about it." he said. 

"I do worry! There's a lot of mistakes being made here!" Santa exclaimed, "For instance, there's a guy here in Denmark who's been wiping his nose on his sister's shirt! Yuck!" Santa said, "And yet, he's on the Nice list." "We try to give the kids just a little bit of slack this time of year." I said.

"Well I don't understand that! Kids are misbehaving everywhere!" Santa said. "Because they're just kids! Everybody misbehaves sometimes!" Bernard argued.   
"But according to the Santa Handbook," Toy Santa said, snatching it from Bernard, "Naughty kids get lumps of coal in their stockings. In my opinion, every kid should get coal!" he exclaimed.

"No! That's not how it works!" Curtis exclaimed, trying to get the fake to understand. "Well from this point on, that's how it's gonna! Get me every list there is!" Toy Santa said, making the elves scatter for the lists. "I have to get Dad back up here." I said, rushing off up to Dad's office. Bernard and Curtis followed me. "Sera, he has to deal with Charlie and finding a wife, he can't come back up here!" Curtis said. 

"What else are we supposed to do, Curtis? We tried convincing that thing and it didn't work! I'm calling my father!" I exclaimed. Curtis opened his mouth but Bernard stopped him, "Just let her do it. Take it from me, once she's set on something there's no convincing her otherwise." he said, talking from a lot of experience.

Curtis turned and stormed out as I dialed Dad's number. He didn't answer, instead, my brother answered and sounded very upset. "Charlie? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. "Sera, Dad is going out with Principal Newman and he didn't even tell me." he cried. "My whole life is nothing but secrets and I hate it!" he sobbed. "Please come home." he said. "Charlie, I- I wish I could, kiddo. But I-"

"No. Of course you're not coming home. You're always up there at the Pole! You never come home to see us anymore." he cried. "Charlie-" I heard the line go dead and dropped to my knees. "Phi, what's wrong?" Bernard asked, coming and kneeling next to me. "Everything is getting ruined." I cried. "What did Charlie say?" he asked.

"He wants me to come home. I have no way there though!" I sobbed. Bernard pulled me into his shoulder as I cried and stroked my hair, "Phi, breathe. Charlie understands, he's just upset right now," he said, trying to comfort me.

"I can't do this Bernard. I can't deal with this anymore. The fake Santa is going to send everyone coal, Dad isn't going to be able to come back up here, Charlie hates me-"

"Charlie does not hate you. Seraphina, look at me," he said, taking my chin and tilting my face up, "We're going to fix everything. We're going to get the toy Santa out and the real one back in, and I promise you, that I will personally teleport you to see Charlie whenever you want to. You trust me?" he asked.

I sniffed and nodded, "I trust you, B." I said. He smiled softly and wiped away the tears on my face before pulling me up. "Come on, all of the elves will be on cocoa break by now, let's go get some." he said. I nodded and let him lead me to the kitchens for the cocoa. "This kind always makes you feel better." he said, and I could smell the peppermint as he sat it in front of me. "I thought today's flavor was cinnamon?" I asked. He nodded, "It is. But I have my ways." he smiled.

Our cocoa break was cut short by an announcement being made by Toy Santa, who had large toy soldiers standing all over the Workshop.

"Everyone stop the work please! Stop working!" he called, "I have a little announcement to make! From now on, we're not going to be making any more toys!" he shouted.

The elves made noises of shock and protest, but Santa silenced all of them, "The children of the world don't deserve these presents! They're running rampant with naughtiness! So this year, we're giving those greedy little brats what they deserve!" he yelled.

He pulled a lever and out from the machines, poured millions of pieces of coal. "Bernard, we have to do something!" I said.

He nodded and ran onto the floor. "This guys isn't Santa! He's a toy! Everything about him is plastic!" he yelled, "Trust me! Please, don't let him ruin Christmas!"

The toy soldiers closed in on Bernard as he yelled out to the elves, and they took him away. "Bernard!" I yelled. I ran down the staircase, but the other elves stopped me, "Don't let them take you, too!" one of them said. "Thank you for those kind words, Bernard. So, now that we all have an understanding, back to work!" the toy Santa said. The elves all looked at the lumps of coal in front of them, then at me. "Sera, why do we have a fake Santa?" Quintin asked.

"Because... Because..." I sighed and finally told the truth. "My dad went to go and find a wife." I said, "It's the Mrs clause. If he doesn't find a wife by Christmas then he can no longer be Santa."

The elves gasped. "On top of that," I continued, "My brother, Charlie, was on the Naughty list this year, so Dad also had to go and check on him." I said.

"Why didn't he just tell us?" one of the elves asked. "Because he loves you guys. He didn't want any of you to be worried about him or about Christmas. So he asked Bernard and I to convince all of you that the fake Santa was actually the real Santa. I'm sorry we lied to you. Bernard didn't want to, so please don't be angry with him. I know he's a little tough sometimes, but he cares about you guys, and he cares about this place." I said. 

"So, when is your dad coming back?" Abby asked.

"I wish that I knew." I said. The elves all looked upset, I knew I couldn't let them stay that way. "Guys, come on, please no long faces. I know that everything will be okay!" I said.   
"How?" Judy asked. 

"Because... Because we're the North Pole! When things get tough we all stick together to make things right again. We won't let this fake Santa win! I promise you guys that we will get the Pole back, but until I can get my father back up here, I need you guys to go along with this." I said. "But we don't want to make coal!" an elf piped up from the back. "We won't be delivering coal! I promise you! Just play along so this imposter doesn't put anyone else under arrest!" I said. "If not for me, or Bernard, or my father, then do it for Christmas." I begged.

The elves thought it over, and started to nod. "Alright guys," Quintin said, "You heard the lady. Let's pretend to get back to work!" he said, and all of the elves scattered. 

I hugged him, "Thank you, Quintin." I said. "Not a problem, Sera. I'll see you soon." he said, and walked off to get back to his station. 

I walked my way to the tinsel department, and grabbed a few unshredded, thicker strands of it before walking to Bernard's house, where toy soldiers were guarding the door. 

"Frost bite!" I cursed. I knew they would stop me if I tried to go to the door, so I walked around to the back of his house.

Why didn't he have a back door? I sighed and started looking for another way that I could get in, and saw a window that would put me on the second floor of his home. Now to get up there. I looked at the neighboring houses and sighed, not believing what I was about to do. I climbed onto the roof of one of the taller houses and shook my head before I jumped up and actually managed to grab on to the ledge of the window.

I struggled to pull myself up, cursing my awful upper body strength, but eventually managed to pull myself up and clumsily through the window, knocking over a table and a lamp in the process. 

"Son of a nutcracker." I groaned as I stood. "Seraphina?" Bernard asked. I nodded, panting as I walked over to him. "I'm here to bust you out." I said. "How? There are toy soldiers outside and... I think you might actually break something if you try to go through the window again." he said.

"Oh, yeah, no I'm definitely not going through a window again. I'm also going to get you a back door for Christmas." I said. "I don't want a back door." he replied.

"You have no choice. Now, follow me." I said, walking out of the room we were in and down the hall. I came to more rooms and turned back to Bernard, "Ok, I've never seen your home before. Help me out please?" I asked. 

"I think next time you plan a bust out mission, you actually know where you're busting out from." he said. I shoved his shoulder to make him start walking, "Just get us downstairs." I said.

He laughed as he started to lead the way. When we got down there, we saw the front door was open and the toy soldiers were waiting for us. "Now what, genius?" he asked. "Back upstairs. Go!" I exclaimed as the toys started coming up the stairs. "What do we do? They're going to catch up to us!" Bernard said.

"Hush! I'm thinking!" I said, shutting the door. I paced the room, thinking of anything we could do. I thought about trying to take on the large toys, but there were four of them and only two of us.

"Seraphina, they're getting closer." Bernard said. I groaned as I knew what out only escape plan would have to be. "Alright, come on." I said, getting up on the window's ledge. "No. Absolutely not!" he replied. "Bernard, it's the only way! We have to get back to the workshop and help the elves!" I said. 

Bernard shook his head in protest, "Phi, in case you haven't noticed, I am not as daring as you are. I can't jump in and out of windows!" he said.

"With the right motivation, you can do anything, B. I think you're about to discover that!" I said, nodding towards the opening door. He looked from me, to the door, and back to me as he groaned and climbed onto the ledge with me. "Ready?" I asked.

He shook his head, "Not at all." he replied. "Well then you're in for a treat." I said as I grabbed his hand. I jumped, pulling him with me, right as the door opened for the toy soldiers to walk in.

We landed roughly on the roof of the next house and groaned from the impact. "I'm never doing that again!" Bernard snapped. "Well hopefully we'll never have to. Let's get back to the Workshop!" I exclaimed. 

"Wait, the soldiers will be coming out any second. We need to trap them somehow!" he said. I nodded and shut the front door before pulling the long strands of tinsel out of my pocket. I tied one end to his doorknob, and the other to the mailbox, keeping the door shut tightly.

"Creative." Bernard said. "Thanks." I replied, then we ran to the Workshop.

Time to save Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1! Ahhhhh!! I love this story so much and I hope you all do too!  
> I’m gonna post chapters 2 through 5 as well just because I’m so excited and then after that it’s going to be every Sunday that I post a new chapter! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this! I’ve had SUCH a fun time writing it! 
> 
> Have a great week! See y’all Sunday!!


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